Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule vs Hahnenschwanztyrann

Apamea epomidion compared with Alectrurus tricolor

Key Differences

• Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule is Least Concern while Hahnenschwanztyrann is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule	Hahnenschwanztyrann
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Aves (Vögel)
Order	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)	Passeriformes (Sperlingsvögel)
Family	Noctuidae	Tyrannidae
Genus	Apamea	Alectrurus
Species	Apamea epomidion	Alectrurus tricolor

Evolutionary Relationship

Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule and Hahnenschwanztyrann share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule

LC — Least Concern

Hahnenschwanztyrann

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule	Hahnenschwanztyrann
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Hahnenschwanztyrann

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Makelrand-Grasbüscheleule

The clouded brindle (Apamea epomidion) is a noctuid moth in the family Noctuidae found across temperate Europe and extending into western Asia. The adult wingspan measures approximately 35–45 mm with typical brindle-patterned forewings in grey-brown and buff tones with subtle cross-lines and stigmata characteristic of the Apamea genus. The term 'clouded' refers to diffuse cloud-like darker shading areas across the forewing surface. Adults fly in one generation from June to August, attracted to light and flowers at night. The larvae are internal feeders within grass stems and roots, feeding on coarse grass species such as Brachypodium sylvaticum and Deschampsia in woodland rides, scrub margins, and rough grassland habitats. The pupal stage overwinters in soil or within plant debris. The clouded brindle inhabits structurally diverse woodland edge habitats with a mixture of tall grasses, scrub, and open canopy woodland rides that provide both larval foodplants and adult resting sites. Changes in woodland management, particularly reduction of coppicing and shading of woodland rides, may affect this and related grass-feeding brindle moth species.

Hahnenschwanztyrann

The cock-tailed tyrant (Alectrurus tricolor) is a striking and unusual flycatcher in the family Tyrannidae, named for the remarkable elongated, spatula-shaped outer tail feathers of the male, which can exceed the body length and are displayed during aerial courtship flights over open grasslands. The species inhabits wet and seasonally flooded grasslands, cerrado savanna, and campos in the interior of South America, including central Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina — not Norway, as erroneous database entries suggest. Males combine conspicuous black, white, and rufous plumage with their extraordinary tail streamers in an elaborate display to attract females on leks; females are cryptically streaked brown. The cock-tailed tyrant is a ground- and low-vegetation forager, preying on insects and other small invertebrates gleaned from grass stems and caught in aerial sallies. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to extensive and continuing conversion and degradation of its native Neotropical grassland habitat through intensive soy and sugarcane agriculture, cattle ranching, fire management changes, and drainage of seasonally flooded grasslands. Populations have declined significantly across much of its range, particularly in Brazil and Paraguay. The species is a flagship for threatened grassland conservation in South America, where relatively little protection has historically been directed at open-country habitats compared to forest ecosystems.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway