Long-tailed Sylph vs Silky Wave

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Idaea dilutaria

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Silky Wave is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Silky Wave
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Trochilidae	Geometridae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Idaea
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Idaea dilutaria

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Silky Wave

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Silky Wave
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.

Silky Wave

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Sweden. Currently classified as 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.