Elf Ears Lichen vs Long-tailed Sylph

Normandina pulchella compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Elf Ears Lichen is Endangered while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elf Ears Lichen	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Eurotiomycetes (Eurotiomycetes)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Verrucariales (Verrucariales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Verrucariaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Normandina	Aglaiocercus
Species	Normandina pulchella	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Elf Ears Lichen

EN — Endangered

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elf Ears Lichen	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elf Ears Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia). 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 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway