Fountain Apple-Moss vs Long-tailed Sylph

Philonotis fontana compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fountain Apple-Moss	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Bartramiales (Bartramiales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Bartramiaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Philonotis	Aglaiocercus
Species	Philonotis fontana	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Fountain Apple-Moss

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fountain Apple-Moss	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fountain Apple-Moss

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States).

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