Barn Fern vs Long-tailed Sylph

Asplenium haughtonii compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

  • Barn Fern is Critically Endangered while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Barn Fern Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom Plantae (Plants) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Tracheophyta Chordata (Chordates)
Class Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida) Aves (Birds)
Order Polypodiales (Polypodiales) Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family Aspleniaceae Trochilidae
Genus Asplenium Aglaiocercus
Species Asplenium haughtonii Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Barn Fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Barn Fern Long-tailed Sylph
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Barn Fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Barn Fern

The Barn Fern (Asplenium haughtonii) is a species in the genus Asplenium. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

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.

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