Downy Veilwort vs Long-tailed Sylph

Metzgeria pubescens compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Downy Veilwort is Endangered while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Downy Veilwort	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Metzgeriales (Metzgeriales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Metzgeriaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Metzgeria	Aglaiocercus
Species	Metzgeria pubescens	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Downy Veilwort

EN — Endangered

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Downy Veilwort	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Downy Veilwort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered 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.

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