Common Goldeneye vs small tortoiseshell

Bucephala clangula compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Common Goldeneye is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Goldeneye	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Anatidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Bucephala	Aglais
Species	Bucephala clangula	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Common Goldeneye

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Goldeneye	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Goldeneye

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

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.

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 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.

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine