Long-tailed Sylph vs Tufted Apple-Moss

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Philonotis caespitosa

Key Differences

• Long-tailed Sylph is Least Concern while Tufted Apple-Moss is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Tufted Apple-Moss
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Bryophyta
Class	Aves (Birds)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Bartramiales (Bartramiales)
Family	Trochilidae	Bartramiaceae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Philonotis
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Philonotis caespitosa

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Tufted Apple-Moss

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Tufted Apple-Moss
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.

Tufted Apple-Moss

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States). 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway