Gray-lined Hawk vs small tortoiseshell

Buteo nitidus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Gray-lined Hawk is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray-lined Hawk	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	Buteo	Aglais
Species	Buteo nitidus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Gray-lined Hawk and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Gray-lined Hawk

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gray-lined Hawk	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray-lined Hawk

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

Gray-lined Hawk

Gray-lined Hawk (Buteo nitidus) 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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway