Long-tailed Sylph vs Vernal Bluet

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Enallagma vernale

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Vernal Bluet
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Trochilidae	Coenagrionidae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Enallagma
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Enallagma vernale

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Vernal Bluet

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Vernal Bluet
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.

Vernal Bluet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.