Small copper vs Eastern tailed-blue

These two are easy to mix up. Here's how to tell a small copper from an eastern tailed-blue, and whether either one bites or stings.

≠The key differences

Copper has a distinctive orange upper surface and different underside spotting; no hindwing tails.

	Small copper	Eastern tailed-blue
To humans	Non-toxic	Non-toxic
Size	20-35 mm wingspan	Wingspan 18-30 mm
Colours	Bright orange, Dark brown, Black, Pale buff	Sky blue, Warm brown, Pale gray, Orange
Family	Lycaenidae	Lycaenidae
Habitat	Open, sunny habitats with short vegetation: meadows, road verges, heathland, brownfield sites, gardens and coastal grassland.	Open, sunny places: fields, meadows, roadsides, lawns, gardens, and disturbed sites
Range	Widespread across Europe and Asia, North Africa, and present in parts of North America (Holarctic distribution with regional subspecies).	Widespread across eastern and central North America: from eastern Canada south through the eastern and central United States and into parts of Mexico. Less common or replaced by similar species in far western North America.
Active	Multiple broods from spring to autumn (commonly April to October in temperate zones); active during daylight, especially warm, sunny hours.	Spring through fall (earliest broods in spring, continuing into autumn); active during daylight, especially in sunny conditions
Pest?	No	No

Bright orange upperwings with a broad dark brown border and several black spots on the forewing.
Small wingspan (20-35 mm) and compact rounded wing shape compared with larger copper species.
Paler underside with faint submarginal spots and less vivid orange—useful when wings are closed.
Frequent low, fast flight over short vegetation and habit of basking with wings open on sunny days.

Very small wingspan (about 18-30 mm) — noticeably smaller than many other common blues
Tiny tail-like projection on each hindwing plus an orange submarginal spot near the tail on the underside
Males bluish upperside with narrow dark border; females brownish with blue dusting
Underside pale gray with small dark spots; check hindwing for the orange spot and short tail

Copper has a distinctive orange upper surface and different underside spotting; no hindwing tails.

Small copper: Non-toxic. Eastern tailed-blue: Non-toxic. Harmless to people. Eastern tailed-blues do not bite or sting and are harmless to people.

Identification from photos is never certain: don't handle insects you can't identify, and get medical advice for bites, stings or allergic reactions.