Lesser Cuckoo vs small tortoiseshell

Cuculus poliocephalus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Lesser Cuckoo is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Cuckoo	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cuculiformes (Cuculiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cuculidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Cuculus	Aglais
Species	Cuculus poliocephalus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Lesser Cuckoo

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lesser Cuckoo	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Cuckoo

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and Taiwan.

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway