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  In flight

Hummingbirds

Long-tailed Sylph

Aglaiocercus kingii

• legendary
• 45 km/h
• Least Concern

Male has an iridescent tail twice his body length, shimmering blue-green. Aerobatics are the whole point.

Population

Not numerically estimated by IUCN/BirdLife; population size unknown, suspected to be decreasing

Habitat

Humid montane forest edges and clearings, secondary forest, scrublands, and gardens, mostly at 900-3,000 m elevation in the Andes

Fun fact

Despite its name, the Long-tailed Sylph's tail is not conspicuously longer than those of other sylph hummingbirds, but the male's iridescent violet-blue tail streamers (up to 12 cm, nearly as long as the rest of his body) are prominently displayed in courtship.

Range

Andes of northern South America: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia

Diet

Nectar (trap-lines flowering plants, defends feeding territories, hovers or clings while feeding, and sometimes nectar-robs by piercing flower bases) supplemented with small insects caught by hawking from perches

Size

0.14 m

Lifespan

10 years