small tortoiseshell vs Variable Wheatear

Aglais urticae compared with Oenanthe picata

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Variable Wheatear is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Variable Wheatear
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)	Muscicapidae
Genus	Aglais	Oenanthe
Species	Aglais urticae	Oenanthe picata

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Variable Wheatear

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Variable Wheatear
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.

Variable Wheatear

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway