Brown-backed Needletail vs Long-tailed Sylph

Hirundapus giganteus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown-backed Needletail	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	Apodidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Hirundapus	Aglaiocercus
Species	Hirundapus giganteus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown-backed Needletail and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Order level: Apodiformes. (Apodiformes)

Conservation Status

Brown-backed Needletail

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown-backed Needletail	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown-backed Needletail

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Brown-backed Needletail

The Brown-Backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus) is a species in the genus Hirundapus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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