Lesser Nighthawk vs small tortoiseshell

Chordeiles acutipennis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Nighthawk	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Caprimulgiformes (Caprimulgiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Caprimulgidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Chordeiles	Aglais
Species	Chordeiles acutipennis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Lesser Nighthawk

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Nighthawk

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.

Lesser Nighthawk

Lesser Nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis) 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