Gray-rumped Swift vs Long-tailed Sylph

Chaetura cinereiventris compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray-rumped Swift	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Apodidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Chaetura	Aglaiocercus
Species	Chaetura cinereiventris	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Gray-rumped Swift and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Order level: Apodiformes. (Apodiformes)

View Order: Apodiformes

Conservation Status

Gray-rumped Swift

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gray-rumped Swift	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray-rumped Swift

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Gray-rumped Swift

Gray-rumped Swift (Chaetura cinereiventris) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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.