Long-tailed Sylph vs Opal-crowned Manakin

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Lepidothrix iris

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Opal-crowned Manakin is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Opal-crowned Manakin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Trochilidae	Pipridae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Lepidothrix
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Lepidothrix iris

Evolutionary Relationship

Long-tailed Sylph and Opal-crowned Manakin share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Opal-crowned Manakin

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Opal-crowned Manakin
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.

Opal-crowned Manakin

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway