Birds · Apodiformes · Trochilidae

Sword-billed Hummingbird

Ensifera ensifera

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The sword-billed hummingbird is an apodiform bird of the family Trochilidae, the only member of the monotypic genus Ensifera. It is native to the Andean regions of north-western and west-central South America. This charismatic species is quite unlike every other hummingbird, thanks to its extremely long black bill, longer than the length of its body. It is the only bird species whose bill exceeds the length of its body.

Weight

10 g – 15 g

Size

17 cm – 25 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Nectarivore

Feeds mainly on flower nectar.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

GeneralThe only bird whose bill is longer than its own body; it has to perch with the bill pointing skywards.
It is the only bird in the world whose bill is longer than its body, and it cannot preen with it: it uses its feet to clean its plumage, something no other hummingbird needs to do.
At rest it holds its bill pointing steeply upwards so as not to overbalance, a posture that makes it unmistakable even in silhouette.
Its bill and the flowers of Passiflora mixta have lengthened one another over evolutionary time: each depends exclusively on the other in order to breed or to feed.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Andean cloud forest and montane scrub, between 1,700 and 3,500 metres
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 18 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensifera_ensifera