vs Long-tailed Sylph

Acanthocorbis asymmetrica compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Protozoa (protozoa)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Choanozoa (Choanozoa)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Choanoflagellatea (Choanoflagellatea)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Choanoflagellida (Choanoflagellida)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Acanthoecidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Acanthocorbis	Aglaiocercus
Species	Acanthocorbis asymmetrica	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Acanthocorbis asymmetrica is a marine choanoflagellate, a unicellular organism closely related to the ancestors of animals, living in coastal and open ocean waters. Its cells are enclosed within a lorica (basket-like cage) constructed from siliceous costal strips that form an asymmetric pattern, distinguishing it from related species. It feeds on bacteria, playing a role in marine microbial food webs.

Long-tailed Sylph

One of the most strikingly ornamented hummingbirds, male long-tailed sylphs have iridescent green plumage and dramatically elongated, ribbon-like outer tail feathers reaching up to 22 cm — over three times the body length. Found in Andean cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela, they inhabit humid montane forest between 1,400–2,800 meters elevation. Males perform elaborate display flights to attract females. Their extravagant tails are a classic example of sexual selection via female preference.