Alpen-Blasenfarn vs Himmelssylphe

Cystopteris alpina compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

Alpen-Blasenfarn is Near Threatened while Himmelssylphe is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpen-Blasenfarn	Himmelssylphe
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Echte Farne)	Aves (Vögel)
Order	Polypodiales (Tüpfelfarnartige)	Apodiformes (Seglervögel)
Family	Cystopteridaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Cystopteris	Aglaiocercus
Species	Cystopteris alpina	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Alpen-Blasenfarn

NT — Near Threatened

Himmelssylphe

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpen-Blasenfarn	Himmelssylphe
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpen-Blasenfarn

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Himmelssylphe

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Alpen-Blasenfarn

The Alpine Bladder-fern (Cystopteris alpina) is a species in the genus Cystopteris. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Himmelssylphe

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.