Black-shouldered Kite vs small tortoiseshell

Elanus caeruleus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Black-shouldered Kite is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-shouldered 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	Elanus	Aglais
Species	Elanus caeruleus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Black-shouldered Kite

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-shouldered Kite

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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-shouldered Kite

The Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) is a species in the genus Elanus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden