Anomalus Sunflower vs Long-tailed Sylph

Helianthus anomalus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Anomalus Sunflower is Vulnerable while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Anomalus Sunflower	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Trochilidae
Genus	Helianthus (Sunflowers)	Aglaiocercus
Species	Helianthus anomalus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Anomalus Sunflower

VU — Vulnerable

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Anomalus Sunflower

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Anomalus Sunflower

The Anomalus Sunflower (Helianthus anomalus) is a species in the genus Helianthus. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.