clouded magpie vs Spur-winged Lapwing

Abraxas sylvata compared with Vanellus spinosus

Key Differences

• clouded magpie is Vulnerable while Spur-winged Lapwing is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clouded magpie	Spur-winged Lapwing
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family	Geometridae	Charadriidae
Genus	Abraxas	Vanellus
Species	Abraxas sylvata	Vanellus spinosus

Evolutionary Relationship

clouded magpie and Spur-winged Lapwing share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Spur-winged Lapwing

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clouded magpie	Spur-winged Lapwing
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.

Spur-winged Lapwing

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries).

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.

Spur-winged Lapwing

Spur-winged Lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden