Broom Fork-Moss vs Long-tailed Sylph

Dicranum scoparium compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Broom Fork-Moss	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Dicranales (Dicranales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Dicranaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Dicranum	Aglaiocercus
Species	Dicranum scoparium	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Broom Fork-Moss

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Broom Fork-Moss	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Broom Fork-Moss

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States).

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Broom Fork-Moss

The Broom Fork-Moss (Dicranum scoparium) is a species in the genus Dicranum. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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.