Alpen-Smaragdlibelle vs Graureiher

Somatochlora alpestris compared with Ardea cinerea

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpen-Smaragdlibelle	Graureiher
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Aves (Vögel)
Order	Odonata (Libellen)	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)
Family	Corduliidae	Ardeidae
Genus	Somatochlora	Ardea
Species	Somatochlora alpestris	Ardea cinerea

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpen-Smaragdlibelle and Graureiher share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Alpen-Smaragdlibelle

LC — Least Concern

Graureiher

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpen-Smaragdlibelle	Graureiher
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	95 cm
Average Weight	—	1.5 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpen-Smaragdlibelle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Graureiher

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Alpen-Smaragdlibelle

The Alpine Emerald (Somatochlora alpestris) is a species in the genus Somatochlora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Graureiher

A large, elegant wading bird reaching up to 1 meter in height, gray herons inhabit wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Patient, solitary hunters, they stand motionless for long periods before striking fish, frogs, and small mammals with lightning-fast dagger bill strikes. They nest colonially in tall trees in rookeries called heronries, sometimes shared with other colonial waterbirds. Widely distributed and of Least Concern globally.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden