Australian dodder vs Long-tailed Sylph

Cuscuta australis compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Australian dodder	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Cuscuta	Aglaiocercus
Species	Cuscuta australis	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Australian dodder

NE — Not Evaluated

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Australian dodder

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Guinea), Asia (Taiwan), and Europe (4 countries).

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Australian dodder

The Australian dodder (Cuscuta australis) is a species in the genus Cuscuta. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Cuscuta australis contributes to the biodiversity of its native ecosystems.

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.