Blue Cycad vs Long-tailed Sylph

Encephalartos nubimontanus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Blue Cycad is Extinct in the Wild while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue Cycad	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Cycadopsida (Cycadopsida)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cycadales (Cycadales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Zamiaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Encephalartos	Aglaiocercus
Species	Encephalartos nubimontanus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Blue Cycad

EW — Extinct in the Wild

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue Cycad	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue Cycad

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Blue Cycad

The Blue Cycad (Encephalartos nubimontanus) is a species in the genus Encephalartos. It is currently classified as Extinct in the Wild on the IUCN Red List. As a member of the genus Encephalartos, it shares ecological traits with closely related species.

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.