Himmelssylphe vs Randfleck-Kleinspanner

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Scopula marginepunctata

Key Differences

• Himmelssylphe is Least Concern while Randfleck-Kleinspanner is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Himmelssylphe	Randfleck-Kleinspanner
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Aves (Vögel)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Apodiformes (Seglervögel)	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)
Family	Trochilidae	Geometridae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Scopula
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Scopula marginepunctata

Evolutionary Relationship

Himmelssylphe and Randfleck-Kleinspanner share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Himmelssylphe

LC — Least Concern

Randfleck-Kleinspanner

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Himmelssylphe	Randfleck-Kleinspanner
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.

Randfleck-Kleinspanner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically 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.