Himmelssylphe vs Mountain Ermel

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Ethmia pyrausta

Key Differences

• Himmelssylphe is Least Concern while Mountain Ermel is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Himmelssylphe	Mountain Ermel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Aves (Vögel)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Apodiformes (Seglervögel)	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)
Family	Trochilidae	Ethmiidae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Ethmia
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Ethmia pyrausta

Evolutionary Relationship

Himmelssylphe and Mountain Ermel share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Himmelssylphe

LC — Least Concern

Mountain Ermel

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Himmelssylphe	Mountain Ermel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Himmelssylphe

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Mountain Ermel

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.