small tortoiseshell vs Superb Starling

Aglais urticae compared with Lamprotornis superbus

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Superb Starling is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Superb Starling
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Sturnidae
Genus	Aglais	Lamprotornis
Species	Aglais urticae	Lamprotornis superbus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Superb Starling

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Superb Starling
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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.

Superb Starling

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Asia (Israel, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates) and Europe (6 countries).

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.

Superb Starling

Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus) 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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom