Cardinal Click Beetle vs Merlin

Ampedus cardinalis compared with Falco columbarius

Key Differences

• Cardinal Click Beetle is Critically Endangered while Merlin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cardinal Click Beetle	Merlin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Elateridae	Falconidae
Genus	Ampedus	Falco
Species	Ampedus cardinalis	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Cardinal Click Beetle and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cardinal Click Beetle

CR — Critically Endangered

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cardinal Click Beetle	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cardinal Click Beetle

Habitat

Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Merlin

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Cardinal Click Beetle

The Cardinal Click Beetle (Ampedus cardinalis) is a species in the genus Ampedus. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Merlin

Merlin (Falco columbarius) 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden