Citrine Wagtail vs small tortoiseshell

Motacilla citreola compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Citrine Wagtail is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Citrine Wagtail	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Motacillidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Motacilla	Aglais
Species	Motacilla citreola	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Citrine Wagtail

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Citrine Wagtail	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Citrine Wagtail

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

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.

Citrine Wagtail

The Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) is a species in the genus Motacilla. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden