Scaly-breasted Munia vs small tortoiseshell

Lonchura punctulata compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Scaly-breasted Munia is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scaly-breasted Munia	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Estrildidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lonchura	Aglais
Species	Lonchura punctulata	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Scaly-breasted Munia and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Scaly-breasted Munia

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scaly-breasted Munia	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Scaly-breasted Munia

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (5 countries), Europe (6 countries), North America (6 countries), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

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.

Scaly-breasted Munia

One of the most widespread estrildid finches in Asia, scaly-breasted munias are named for the fish-scale-like pattern of brown and white streaks on their breast. They inhabit grasslands, rice fields, and scrub from India east through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia, and have established feral populations in many parts of the world including Hawaii, Florida, and Australia. Highly gregarious, they form flocks of hundreds feeding on grass seeds and rice grains.

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 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇮 Slovenia 🇬🇧 United Kingdom