Brown Violetear vs small tortoiseshell

Colibri delphinae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Brown Violetear is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Violetear	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Trochilidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Colibri	Aglais
Species	Colibri delphinae	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Brown Violetear

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Violetear	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Violetear

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

Brown Violetear

The only predominantly brown hummingbird in the violetear genus, brown violetears have brownish-bronze upper parts and a diagnostic violet-blue ear patch. Found across a broad range of humid forest and forest edge from Guatemala south through Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil to Bolivia. Inhabiting elevations from lowland to 2,000 meters, they are found in forest interior, forest edge, and gardens. Despite relatively drab plumage for a hummingbird, the violet ear patch glitters vividly in direct sunlight.

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway