Forster's Tern vs small tortoiseshell

Sterna forsteri compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Forster's Tern is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Forster's Tern	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Laridae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Sterna	Aglais
Species	Sterna forsteri	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Forster's Tern and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Forster's Tern

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Forster's Tern	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Forster's Tern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Colombia, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden