Bird Vetch vs Fodder Vetch

Vicia cracca compared with Vicia villosa

Key Differences

• Bird Vetch is Least Concern while Fodder Vetch is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bird Vetch	Fodder Vetch
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family same	Fabaceae	Fabaceae
Genus same	Vicia	Vicia
Species	Vicia cracca	Vicia villosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Bird Vetch and Fodder Vetch share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Vicia.

Conservation Status

Bird Vetch

LC — Least Concern

Fodder Vetch

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bird Vetch	Fodder Vetch
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bird Vetch

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil).

Fodder Vetch

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 9 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (9 countries), Europe (16 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (4 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bird Vetch

The Bird Vetch (Vicia cracca) is a species in the genus Vicia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 11 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States