Osier vs small tortoiseshell

Salix viminalis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Osier is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Osier	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Salicaceae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Salix	Aglais
Species	Salix viminalis	Aglais urticae

Conservation Status

Osier

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Osier

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Turkey), Europe (13 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), 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.

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 13 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇸 Iceland 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom