Head to head
White Admiral vs Red Admiral
White Admiral
VS Red Admiral
The white admiral and red admiral are two admiral butterflies with dark wings crossed by a bold band, but one is a shy woodland resident and the other a wandering migrant.
| White Admiral | Red Admiral | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Limenitis camilla | Vanessa atalanta |
| Pattern | Dark brown-black wings crossed by a broad white band | Otherwise dark brown or black wings crossed by orange-red bands |
| Caterpillar food | The leaves of honeysuckle | Nettles and related plants |
| Caterpillar shelter | Spends the winter in a small shelter made from a folded honeysuckle leaf tied with silk | Folds and ties together the leaves of its host plant with silk to make a shelter it lives and feeds within |
| Adult food | Nectar from bramble flowers | Mostly tree sap, rotting fruit, and animal dung, and only occasionally flower nectar |
| Flight | Flies with a few flaps followed by long glides on flat wings, often high along woodland rides | A fast, strong flier with an erratic flight pattern, capable of long-distance migrations |
| Habitat and range | Shady woodland rides and clearings across Europe and eastward into temperate Asia | Forested and open habitat across most of North America, extending into Europe, Asia, and North Africa |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, though it has declined in parts of Britain | Least Concern |
White Admiral vs Red Admiral: common questions
Which admiral is a migrant?
The red admiral, which undertakes long-distance migrations covering hundreds of kilometres within a single season.
What does the white admiral caterpillar eat?
It feeds on the leaves of honeysuckle, and spends the winter in a small shelter made from a folded honeysuckle leaf.
Which one prefers tree sap to flowers?
The red admiral often prefers tree sap, rotting fruit, and even animal dung over flower nectar.