Northern Lapwing vs small tortoiseshell

Vanellus vanellus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Northern Lapwing is Endangered while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Lapwing	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Charadriidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Vanellus	Aglais
Species	Vanellus vanellus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Northern Lapwing

EN — Endangered

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Lapwing	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Lapwing

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Northern Lapwing

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) 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.

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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden