Sword-billed Hummingbird

The Sword-billed Hummingbird is unmistakable for possessing the longest bill relative to body length of any bird species, with the bill alone often as long as, or longer than, the rest of its body. This remarkable adaptation allows it to feed from deep, tubular flowers inaccessible to other hummingbirds.

Plumage is relatively subdued for a hummingbird, with males showing bronze-green upperparts, a coppery to green throat, and a duller grayish or buffy belly. Because the bill is so long and heavy, the bird often perches with its bill tilted upward to balance its weight.

Key field marks

• Extraordinarily long, straight, thin black bill, often exceeding total body length
• Medium-large hummingbird with bronze-green upperparts and a coppery-green throat
• Distinctive upward-tilted resting posture to counterbalance the heavy bill

Similar species

• No other hummingbird approaches this bill length, making adults unmistakable
• Silhouette in flight can suggest a large hummingbird with an odd elongated profile, but the extreme bill-to-body ratio is diagnostic

Habitat

Humid montane and cloud forest, forest edge, and adjacent shrubby areas, typically at elevations of about 1,700 to 3,500 m.

Range

Found along the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, to Bolivia.

Migration

Largely sedentary, though it may make local altitudinal movements tracking the flowering of key food plants such as Passiflora and Datura.

Behavior

Often perches with its head tilted back and bill pointed upward due to the weight and length of the bill; also uses its feet to help preen since the bill is too long and unwieldy for typical feather care.

Voice

Relatively quiet; gives soft, high-pitched chips and twittering notes, without an elaborate song.

Feeding

Specializes in nectar from long, tubular flowers, particularly certain Passiflora (passionflower) and Datura species that few other pollinators can access, using its long bill and extensible tongue; also hawks small insects for protein.

Nesting and breeding

Builds a small cup nest of plant material bound with spider silk; the female incubates and raises the brood alone, as in most hummingbirds.