Common Oak vs small tortoiseshell

Quercus robur compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Common Oak is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Oak	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Fagales (Beeches & Oaks)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Fagaceae (Beech Family)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Quercus (Oaks)	Aglais
Species	Quercus robur	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Common Oak

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Oak	small tortoiseshell
Diet	Autotroph	—
Average Lifespan	1000 years	—
Average Length	25.0 m	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Oak

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho, South Africa), Asia (Armenia, India), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 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.

Common Oak

One of Europe's most important and widespread deciduous trees, the pedunculate oak can live over 1,000 years, reach 40 meters, and support the greatest biodiversity of any European tree species — over 2,300 species of insects, fungi, lichens, mosses, and birds directly depend on mature oaks. Found across Europe to western Asia in temperate forests, its hard, durable wood has been foundational to shipbuilding, architecture, and barrel making throughout history.

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.