Buff-thighed Puffleg vs European otter

Haplophaedia assimilis compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Buff-thighed Puffleg is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff-thighed Puffleg	European otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Trochilidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Haplophaedia	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Haplophaedia assimilis	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Buff-thighed Puffleg and European otter share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Buff-thighed Puffleg

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff-thighed Puffleg	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff-thighed Puffleg

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

European otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Buff-thighed Puffleg

The Buff-Thighed Puffleg (Haplophaedia assimilis) is a species in the genus Haplophaedia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

European otter

Sleek semi-aquatic mustelid found along clean rivers, streams, and coastlines across Europe and Asia. European otters can reach 1.3 meters in length and are highly skilled fish hunters, using sensitive whiskers to detect prey movements. Requiring unpolluted water with abundant fish, they are an indicator species for freshwater ecosystem health. Once nearly extinct in Western Europe from hunting and pollution, populations have recovered significantly following water quality improvements.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway