Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a species of hummingbird

Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...

 from South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and the sole member of the genus Ensifera. It is found in Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 and Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

Etymology

The genus and species name ensifera ("sword-wielder") is derived from Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 ensis (sword) and ferre (to carry), and refers to this hummingbird's remarkable beak length.

Description

It is noted as the only species of bird to have a bill

Beak

The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...

 longer than the rest of its body. This adaptation is to feed on flowers with long corollas such as Passiflora mixta

Passiflora mixta

Passiflora mixta, from the family of Passifloraceae is also known as curuba, curuba de indio, curuba de monte, curubita, palta ,parcha , and tacso . Originally derived from the monophyletic Adeans Passiflora subgenus Tocsonia...

. The tongue is therefore also unusually long.

Since the Sword-billed Hummingbird's beak is very long, it grooms itself with its feet. From base of the bill to the tail tip, this species is 14 cm (5.5 in) long, not counting the 8 cm+ bill. This hummingbird weighs about 12 grams and is one of the largest species of hummingbirds.

External links

• Video of female using feet for grooming on the Internet Bird Collection website
• Mangoverde world bird guide
• Skeleton of Sword-billed Hummingbird at the Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound