Long-tailed Sylph vs Surf Scoter

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Melanitta perspicillata

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Surf Scoter is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Surf Scoter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Trochilidae	Anatidae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Melanitta
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Melanitta perspicillata

Evolutionary Relationship

Long-tailed Sylph and Surf Scoter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Surf Scoter

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Surf Scoter
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.

Surf Scoter

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway