Common Moonwort vs Небесный сильф

Botrychium lunaria compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Key Differences

Common Moonwort is Endangered while Небесный сильф is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Moonwort	Небесный сильф
Kingdom	Plantae (растения)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (хордовые)
Class	Polypodiopsida (папоротниковые)	Aves (птицы)
Order	Ophioglossales (ужовниковые)	Apodiformes (стрижеобразные)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Trochilidae
Genus	Botrychium	Aglaiocercus
Species	Botrychium lunaria	Aglaiocercus kingii

Conservation Status

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Небесный сильф

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Moonwort	Небесный сильф
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Moonwort

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Небесный сильф

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common Moonwort

Common Moonwort (<em>Botrychium lunaria</em>) is a small fern in the genus <em>Botrychium</em>, family Ophioglossaceae. It is distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America, with confirmed presence in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as Taiwan and the United States. The species is typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Common Moonwort is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it faces significant conservation challenges across its range. Its distinctive frond is divided into two parts: a sterile fan-shaped leaf portion with rounded lobes resembling a crescent moon, and a fertile spike bearing spore-bearing structures. As a fern ally rather than a flowering plant, it reproduces via spores rather than seeds. The species is associated with stable, undisturbed habitats including ancient grasslands, upland heaths, and rocky slopes. Its sensitivity to habitat disturbance and changes in land management are thought to contribute to population declines. Specific biological measurements such as lifespan and dimensions are not documented in available records.

Небесный сильф

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.