Gunpowder tree vs Long-tailed Sylph

Melochia umbellata compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gunpowder tree	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Malvales (Malvales)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Malvaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Melochia	Aglaiocercus
Species	Melochia umbellata	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Gunpowder tree

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gunpowder tree	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gunpowder tree

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Australasia biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and 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.