Dowdy Plume vs Long-tailed Sylph

Stenoptilia zophodactylus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Dowdy Plume is Extinct while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dowdy Plume	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Pterophoridae	Trochilidae
Genus	Stenoptilia	Aglaiocercus
Species	Stenoptilia zophodactylus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Dowdy Plume and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Dowdy Plume

EX — Extinct

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dowdy Plume	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dowdy Plume

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (7 countries), Asia (11 countries), Europe (26 countries), North America (Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Ecuador, Paraguay).

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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:

🇪🇨 Ecuador