European Roller vs small tortoiseshell

Coracias garrulus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• European Roller is Extinct while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European Roller	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Coraciidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Coracias	Aglais
Species	Coracias garrulus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

European Roller

EX — Extinct

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European Roller	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European Roller

Habitat

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

Range

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

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.

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