Buff-necked Ibis vs small tortoiseshell

Theristicus caudatus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Buff-necked Ibis is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff-necked Ibis	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Threskiornithidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Theristicus	Aglais
Species	Theristicus caudatus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Buff-necked Ibis and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Buff-necked Ibis

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff-necked Ibis	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff-necked Ibis

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and South America (Colombia, 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.

Buff-necked Ibis

Buff-necked Ibis (Theristicus caudatus) 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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom