Long-tailed Sylph vs Sargasso Weed

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Sargassum natans

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Sargasso Weed
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Phaeophyceae (Phaeophyceae)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Fucales (Fucales)
Family	Trochilidae	Sargassaceae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Sargassum
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Sargassum natans

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Sargasso Weed

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Sargasso Weed
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.

Sargasso Weed

Habitat

Native to Africa and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sao Tome and Principe.

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