Long-tailed Sylph vs Ridge Tail Salamander

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Pseudoeurycea obesa

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Ridge Tail Salamander is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Ridge Tail Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Trochilidae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Pseudoeurycea
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Pseudoeurycea obesa

Evolutionary Relationship

Long-tailed Sylph and Ridge Tail Salamander share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Ridge Tail Salamander

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Ridge Tail Salamander
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.

Ridge Tail Salamander

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in Mexico. Currently classified as Critically Endangered 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.