Common Ringed Plover vs Four-toed Hedgehog

Charadrius hiaticula compared with Atelerix albiventris

Key Differences

• Common Ringed Plover is Critically Endangered while Four-toed Hedgehog is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Ringed Plover	Four-toed Hedgehog
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)
Family	Charadriidae	Erinaceidae
Genus	Charadrius	Atelerix
Species	Charadrius hiaticula	Atelerix albiventris

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Ringed Plover and Four-toed Hedgehog share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Ringed Plover

CR — Critically Endangered

Four-toed Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Ringed Plover	Four-toed Hedgehog
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Ringed Plover

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Four-toed Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Ecuador and Spain.

Common Ringed Plover

Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.