Himmelssylphe vs Bleicher Schüppling

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Pholiota squarrosoides

Key Differences

Himmelssylphe is Least Concern while Bleicher Schüppling is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Himmelssylphe	Bleicher Schüppling
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Fungi (Pilze)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)
Class	Aves (Vögel)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Apodiformes (Seglervögel)	Agaricales (Champignonartige)
Family	Trochilidae	Strophariaceae
Genus	Aglaiocercus	Pholiota
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Pholiota squarrosoides

Conservation Status

Himmelssylphe

LC — Least Concern

Bleicher Schüppling

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Himmelssylphe	Bleicher Schüppling
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.

Bleicher Schüppling

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. 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.