Sword-billed Hummingbird
The sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) of the Andes has a bill about 10 centimeters long, longer than its body without the tail. It is the only bird in the world whose bill is longer than the rest of its body.
The sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) of the Andes has a bill about 10 centimeters long, longer than its body without the tail. It is the only bird in the world whose bill is longer than the rest of its body.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Sword-billed Hummingbird in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
A Bill for a Flower: Coevolution
The bird feeds on flowers with extremely long tubes, particularly passionflowers (Passiflora) that few other pollinators can reach. The flowers and hummingbird bills have evolved together, a classic example of coevolution.
Preening With Feet
The bird cannot preen its feathers with its bill and scratches itself with its feet. It perches with the bill held upward, and catches insects in flight for protein.
Mountain Cloud Forests
It lives in cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia, flying at altitudes up to about 3,500 meters, and is threatened by forest clearance. See Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Sword-billed Hummingbird at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ensifera ensifera |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Apodiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia: Aves (Birds) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | The only bird with a bill longer than its body, used to sip nectar from long tubular Andean flowers; hovers in place. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2024 |
| Bill length | About 10 centimeters |
| Habitat | Andean cloud forest |
See Also
- Anna's Hummingbird — a short-billed hummingbird
- Natural selection — coevolution