Long-tailed Sylph vs

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Nitzschia flexa

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Bacillariales (Bacillariales)
Family	Trochilidae	Bacillariaceae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Nitzschia
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Nitzschia flexa

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Nitzschia flexa is a pennate diatom (class Bacillariophyceae) with a characteristically curved or bent raphe system that gives the genus its distinctive appearance. It inhabits freshwater to brackish environments and contributes to benthic and planktonic algal communities. As a photosynthetic microalga, it plays a foundational role in aquatic food webs and primary production.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway