clouded magpie vs cluster fig

Abraxas sylvata compared with Ficus congesta

Key Differences

• clouded magpie is Vulnerable while cluster fig is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	cluster fig
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Geometridae	Moraceae
Genus	Abraxas	Ficus
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Ficus congesta

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

cluster fig

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	cluster fig
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

clouded magpie

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

cluster fig

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

clouded magpie

The clouded magpie (Abraxas sylvata) is a geometrid moth in the family Geometridae found across temperate Europe, extending eastward through Russia to Japan. The adult wingspan measures approximately 32–42 mm, with white wings bearing a distinctive pattern of yellow-orange and dark grey to black spots and patches arranged in rows across the forewing and hindwing, creating a striking patterned appearance resembling the magpie coloring of the related magpie moth Abraxas grossulariata, but with a more yellowish, muted tone and less black — hence 'clouded.' Adults fly in one generation from June to July, resting on leaf surfaces and attending woodland flowers for nectar. The larvae feed on wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and occasionally other Ulmus species in mature deciduous woodland and woodland edges. The clouded magpie has become less common in parts of its European range due to the widespread loss of mature elms from Dutch elm disease, which devastated European elm populations from the 1970s onward. Conservation of this species requires the protection of surviving mature elm trees and management of regrowth elms in woodland ecosystems.

cluster fig

Ficus congesta, a species within the enormously diverse fig genus of the family Moraceae, is a tropical tree producing characteristic clustered figs that ripen to attract frugivorous birds, bats, and mammals. The genus Ficus comprises over 800 species distributed pantropically, and F. congesta occupies forest habitats across Southeast Asia and Melanesia, where it grows in primary and secondary lowland tropical forests at varying elevations. Like other members of the genus, Ficus congesta maintains an obligate pollination mutualism with a specific fig wasp species in the family Agaonidae; each fig species and its wasp partner have co-evolved in tight specificity over millions of years. The tree produces figs in dense clusters on the trunk and branches, providing an abundant and reliable food source for wildlife that supplement more seasonal fruiting trees. Ficus congesta is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN given the breadth of its range across Melanesia and parts of island Southeast Asia. Figs serve critical ecological roles as keystone resources in tropical forests, sustaining frugivore populations during periods when other fruits are scarce. The species contributes to forest regeneration as frugivores disperse its seeds widely across the landscape.