Long-tailed Sylph vs Sidewalk Firedot

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Xanthocarpia feracissima

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Sidewalk Firedot is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Sidewalk Firedot
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Teloschistales (Teloschistales)
Family	Trochilidae	Teloschistaceae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Xanthocarpia
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Xanthocarpia feracissima

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Sidewalk Firedot

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Sidewalk Firedot
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.

Sidewalk Firedot

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States.

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.