Eurasian beaver vs Gray Wagtail

Castor fiber compared with Motacilla cinerea

Key Differences

• Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable while Gray Wagtail is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian beaver	Gray Wagtail
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Castoridae (Beavers)	Motacillidae
Genus	Castor (Beavers)	Motacilla
Species	Castor fiber	Motacilla cinerea

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian beaver and Gray Wagtail share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Gray Wagtail

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian beaver	Gray Wagtail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gray Wagtail

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian beaver

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Gray Wagtail

Gray Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 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 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden