Common Kingfisher vs Long-tailed Sylph

Alcedo atthis compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Common Kingfisher is Vulnerable while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Kingfisher	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Alcedinidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Alcedo	Aglaiocercus
Species	Alcedo atthis	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Kingfisher and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Common Kingfisher

VU — Vulnerable

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Kingfisher	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Kingfisher

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

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