Glossy-backed Becard vs Long-tailed Sylph

Pachyramphus surinamus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Glossy-backed Becard	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Cotingidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Pachyramphus	Aglaiocercus
Species	Pachyramphus surinamus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Glossy-backed Becard and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Glossy-backed Becard

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Glossy-backed Becard	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Glossy-backed Becard

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway and Venezuela.

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:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela