Green Hermit vs Long-tailed Sylph

Phaethornis guy compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Hermit	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 same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Phaethornis	Aglaiocercus
Species	Phaethornis guy	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Green Hermit and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Family level: Trochilidae.

Conservation Status

Green Hermit

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Hermit	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Green Hermit

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.

Green Hermit

A large hermit hummingbird of humid rainforest in Central America and the northern Andes, green hermits are named for the males' predominantly green plumage — unusual among hermits which are generally brown and buff. Females have blue-green upper parts and rufous underparts. Found from Costa Rica to Peru and Venezuela at elevations up to 1,600 meters in forest understory. They are important pollinators of large Heliconia and Calathea flowers along the forest floor, following established trap-line routes.

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 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela