Long-tailed Sylph

Long-tailed Sylph

Aglaiocercus kingii

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Manu National Park
1,066 Verified sightings at Manu National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,696 Verified sightings across all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Long-tailed Sylph

The long-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The taxonomy of genus Aglaiocercus and of the long-tailed sylph in particular are complicated. The genus also includes two other sylphs, the violet-tailed (A. coelestis) and Venezuelan (A. berlepschi), and the three have several times been suggested to be either one or two species. Several additional species have been proposed for inclusion but they have almost conclusively been shown to be hybrids with kingii or one of the other sylphs. Since at least the early 2000s taxonomists have settled on the three-species treatment.

The long-tailed sylph has these six accepted subspecies. However, early in the 20th century, caudatus and mocoa were treated by some authors as separate species. A. k. margarethae Heine (1863) A. k. caudatus Berlepsch (1893)

A. k. emmae Berlepsch (1893) A. k. kingii Lesson (1832) A. k. mocoa Delattre & Bourcier (1846) A. k. smaragdinus Gould (1846) The male long-tailed sylphs are 16 to 19 cm (6.3 to 7.5 in) long including... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~30%
2 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
3 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
4 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
5 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
6 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
7 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
8 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
9 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data
10 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Long-tailed Sylph in Manu National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Sylph sighting in Manu National Park, based on 1,066 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Long-tailed Sylph in Manu National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Long-tailed Sylph in Manu National Park in our monthly data.

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