Black-headed Weaver vs small tortoiseshell

Ploceus melanocephalus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Black-headed Weaver is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-headed Weaver	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	Ploceidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Ploceus	Aglais
Species	Ploceus melanocephalus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-headed Weaver and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Black-headed Weaver

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-headed Weaver	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-headed Weaver

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries).

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.

Black-headed Weaver

Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus) 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 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇬🇧 United Kingdom