vs Long-tailed Sylph

Inocybe margaritispora compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

is Vulnerable while Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Inocybaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Inocybe	Aglaiocercus
Species	Inocybe margaritispora	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

VU — Vulnerable

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Inocybe margaritispora is a small, fibrous mushroom with pearl-shaped or warty spores distinguishing it within the large Inocybe genus. It grows in temperate deciduous forests, forming ectomycorrhizal associations with beech, oak, and other hardwood trees. This fungus exchanges nutrients with tree roots and fruiting bodies appear on forest floors in summer and autumn.

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.