Beautiful Treerunner vs Cheetah

Margarornis bellulus compared with Acinonyx jubatus

Key Differences

• Beautiful Treerunner is Near Threatened while Cheetah is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beautiful Treerunner	Cheetah
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Furnariidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Margarornis	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)
Species	Margarornis bellulus	Acinonyx jubatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Beautiful Treerunner and Cheetah share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Beautiful Treerunner

NT — Near Threatened

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Beautiful Treerunner	Cheetah
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	12 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beautiful Treerunner

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Norway, and Panama. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Cheetah

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Iran, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Beautiful Treerunner

The Beautiful Treerunner (Margarornis bellulus) is a species in the genus Margarornis. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Cheetah

The fastest land animal on Earth, reaching speeds of 112 km/h over short distances across African and Iranian grasslands. Slender build with a deep chest, long legs, and distinctive black tear-stripe markings. Unlike other big cats, cheetahs vocalize with chirps and purrs. Vulnerable, with only ~7,000 remaining due to habitat fragmentation and competition with larger predators.