broadleaf milkweed vs Long-tailed Sylph

Asclepias latifolia compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• broadleaf milkweed is Extinct while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	broadleaf milkweed	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Gentianales (Gentianales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Apocynaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Asclepias	Aglaiocercus
Species	Asclepias latifolia	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

broadleaf milkweed

EX — Extinct

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	broadleaf milkweed	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

broadleaf milkweed

Habitat

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

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

broadleaf milkweed

The Broadleaf Milkweed (Asclepias latifolia) is a species in the genus Asclepias. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.