Golan Iris vs Long-tailed Sylph

Iris hermona compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

• Golan Iris is Endangered while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golan Iris	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Mantodea (Mantodea)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Eremiaphilidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Iris	Aglaiocercus
Species	Iris hermona	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Golan Iris

EN — Endangered

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Golan Iris	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Golan Iris

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.