Long-tailed Sylph vs Violet-tailed Sylph

Aglaiocercus kingii compared with Aglaiocercus coelestis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Long-tailed Sylph	Violet-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Aves (นก)	Aves (นก)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus same	Aglaiocercus	Aglaiocercus
Species	Aglaiocercus kingii	Aglaiocercus coelestis

Evolutionary Relationship

Long-tailed Sylph and Violet-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Aglaiocercus.

Conservation Status

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Violet-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Long-tailed Sylph	Violet-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Violet-tailed Sylph

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

Long-tailed Sylph

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway