Black-winged Starling vs Long-tailed Sylph

Acridotheres melanopterus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Black-winged Starling is Endangered while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-winged Starling	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Sturnidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Acridotheres	Aglaiocercus
Species	Acridotheres melanopterus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-winged Starling and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Black-winged Starling

EN — Endangered

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-winged Starling	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-winged Starling

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Black-winged Starling

The Black-winged Starling (Acridotheres melanopterus) is a species in the genus Acridotheres. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found in Norway. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway