Barn Swallow vs small tortoiseshell

Hirundo rustica compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Barn Swallow is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Barn Swallow	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hirundinidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Hirundo	Aglais
Species	Hirundo rustica	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Barn Swallow and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Barn Swallow

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Barn Swallow	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Barn Swallow

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

small tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

small tortoiseshell

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden