Eurasian Sparrowhawk vs small tortoiseshell

Accipiter nisus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Eurasian Sparrowhawk is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Accipiter	Aglais
Species	Accipiter nisus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

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.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden