Buckelwal vs Olive-Backed Thrush

Megaptera novaeangliae compared with Catharus ustulatus

Key Differences

Buckelwal is Vulnerable while Olive-Backed Thrush is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buckelwal	Olive-Backed Thrush
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Turdidae
Genus	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)	Catharus
Species	Megaptera novaeangliae	Catharus ustulatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Buckelwal and Olive-Backed Thrush share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Olive-Backed Thrush

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buckelwal	Olive-Backed Thrush
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	50 years	—
Average Length	15.0 m	—
Average Weight	30.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buckelwal

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Olive-Backed Thrush

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Buckelwal

Among the most acrobatic of the great whales, humpback whales are renowned for their complex, haunting songs sung by males during breeding season — some lasting hours and evolving over time. Reaching 16 meters and 30 tonnes, they undertake the longest migrations of any mammal. Found in all oceans, humpbacks feed on krill and small fish using cooperative bubble-net feeding. Populations have largely recovered from historic whaling.

Olive-Backed Thrush

Olive-Backed Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 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.