Bird flea vs Common Pipistrelle

Ceratophyllus zhovtyi compared with Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Key Differences

• Bird flea is Least Concern while Common Pipistrelle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bird flea	Common Pipistrelle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Siphonaptera (Siphonaptera)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Ceratophyllidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Ceratophyllus	Pipistrellus
Species	Ceratophyllus zhovtyi	Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Evolutionary Relationship

Bird flea and Common Pipistrelle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Bird flea

LC — Least Concern

Common Pipistrelle

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bird flea	Common Pipistrelle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bird flea

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Common Pipistrelle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bird flea

The Bird flea (Ceratophyllus zhovtyi) is a species in the genus Ceratophyllus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Common Pipistrelle

<em>Pipistrellus pipistrellus</em>, the common pipistrelle, is a small bat in the family Vespertilionidae and one of the most abundant and widespread bat species in Europe. It is typically one of the first bats to emerge at dusk, flying with rapid, jerky wingbeats as it pursues small flying insects over gardens, woodland edges, water bodies, and urban areas. The species roosts in crevices in buildings, bat boxes, and tree holes, often forming large maternity colonies in summer. <em>Pipistrellus pipistrellus</em> echolocates at a characteristic frequency of around 45 kHz, which allows it to be identified using bat detectors. It is distributed across Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal, among many other countries. The species is assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population declines driven by loss of foraging habitat, reduction in insect prey biomass, disturbance of roost sites, and pesticide use. Biological traits such as average lifespan, body size, weight, and detailed dietary composition across its range remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, though the species is known to consume large numbers of small moths, midges, and other aerial insects each night.