Collared Inca vs Long-tailed Sylph

Coeligena torquata compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Collared Inca	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 same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Coeligena	Aglaiocercus
Species	Coeligena torquata	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Collared Inca and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Family level: Trochilidae.

Conservation Status

Collared Inca

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Collared Inca	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Collared Inca

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Collared Inca

A medium-large hummingbird of Andean montane forests from Colombia to Bolivia, collared incas have striking black and white plumage with a broad white chest band and distinctive white tail patches visible in flight. Inhabiting forest and forest edges at elevations of 1,700–3,200 meters, they feed at diverse flowering plants and are important pollinators of large-flowered Andean shrubs and trees. Their contrasting white tail patches flash prominently during hovering flight, aiding species recognition.

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 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela