Black-throated Hermit vs Long-tailed Sylph

Phaethornis atrimentalis compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-throated Hermit	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Phaethornis	Aglaiocercus
Species	Phaethornis atrimentalis	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-throated Hermit and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Family level: Trochilidae.

Conservation Status

Black-throated Hermit

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-throated Hermit	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-throated Hermit

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Black-throated Hermit

The Black-throated Hermit (Phaethornis atrimentalis) is a species in the genus Phaethornis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway