Mallard vs small tortoiseshell

Anas platyrhynchos compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

Mallard is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Mallard	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Anatidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Anas	Aglais
Species	Anas platyrhynchos	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

Mallard

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Mallard	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Mallard

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (Bhutan, Nepal), Europe (7 countries), North America (Barbados, El Salvador, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

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.

Mallard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 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.