small tortoiseshell vs Whinchat

Aglais urticae compared with Saxicola rubetra

Key Differences

small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Whinchat is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Whinchat
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	Saxicola
Species	Aglais urticae	Saxicola rubetra

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Whinchat

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Whinchat
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.

Whinchat

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Whinchat

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.