Pigeon Flea vs small tortoiseshell

Ceratophyllus columbae compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Pigeon Flea is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Pigeon Flea	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Siphonaptera (Siphonaptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Ceratophyllidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Ceratophyllus	Aglais
Species	Ceratophyllus columbae	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Pigeon Flea and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Pigeon Flea

NE — Not Evaluated

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Pigeon Flea	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Pigeon Flea

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (18 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 18 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇹 Lithuania 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇰 Slovakia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇬🇧 United Kingdom