Long-tailed Sylph vs Short-crested Monarch

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Hypothymis helenae

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Short-crested Monarch is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Short-crested Monarch
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	Monarchidae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Hypothymis
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Hypothymis helenae

Evolutionary Relationship

Long-tailed Sylph and Short-crested Monarch share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Short-crested Monarch

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Short-crested Monarch
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.

Short-crested Monarch

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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