Black Kite vs small tortoiseshell

Milvus migrans compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Black Kite is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Kite	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Milvus	Aglais
Species	Milvus migrans	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Black Kite

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Kite	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Kite

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (10 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 Kite

Black Kite (Milvus migrans) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

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 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom