Catkin Yew vs Sparkling Violetear

Amentotaxus argotaenia compared with Colibri coruscans

Key Differences

• Catkin Yew is Near Threatened while Sparkling Violetear is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Catkin Yew	Sparkling Violetear
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Coniferophyta (Conifers)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Pinopsida (Conifers)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Pinales (Pines & Allies)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Taxaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Amentotaxus	Colibri
Species	Amentotaxus argotaenia	Colibri coruscans

Conservation Status

Catkin Yew

NT — Near Threatened

Sparkling Violetear

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Catkin Yew	Sparkling Violetear
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Catkin Yew

Habitat

Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Sparkling Violetear

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Catkin Yew

The Catkin Yew (Amentotaxus argotaenia) is a species in the genus Amentotaxus. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Sparkling Violetear

A large, brilliant hummingbird of the Andes and high Venezuelan tepuis, sparkling violetears display glittering blue-green plumage with an iridescent violet-blue ear patch and chin that sparkle intensely in sunlight — delivering on their evocative name. Found at elevations of 1,200–3,000 meters across Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru in montane forest and scrub. Among the most common Andean hummingbirds, they are highly aggressive and vocal territory defenders at flower patches.