Northern Emerald vs Spotted Sandpiper

Somatochlora arctica compared with Actitis macularius

Key Differences

• Northern Emerald is Endangered while Spotted Sandpiper is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Emerald	Spotted Sandpiper
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family	Corduliidae	Scolopacidae
Genus	Somatochlora	Actitis
Species	Somatochlora arctica	Actitis macularius

Evolutionary Relationship

Northern Emerald and Spotted Sandpiper share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Northern Emerald

EN — Endangered

Spotted Sandpiper

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Emerald	Spotted Sandpiper
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Emerald

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Spotted Sandpiper

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Northern Emerald

Northern Emerald (Somatochlora arctica) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden