small tortoiseshell vs Tufted Duck

Aglais urticae compared with Aythya fuligula

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Tufted Duck is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Tufted Duck
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Anatidae
Genus	Aglais	Aythya
Species	Aglais urticae	Aythya fuligula

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Tufted Duck

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Tufted Duck
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.

Tufted Duck

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States).

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.

Tufted Duck

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) 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 5 countries:

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