Long-tailed Sylph vs Saltmarsh Plume

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Agdistis bennetii

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Saltmarsh Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Trochilidae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Agdistis
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Agdistis bennetii

Evolutionary Relationship

Long-tailed Sylph and Saltmarsh Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Saltmarsh Plume

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Saltmarsh Plume
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.

Saltmarsh Plume

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (13 countries).

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.