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Sword-billed hummingbird
We are delighted that Prof Dr Ulrich Schweizer has taken on the sponsorship of the Sword-billed Hummingbird. Thank you very much!
With a body length of up to 22 cm (including beak), the Sword-billed Hummingbird(Ensifera ensifera) is a large member of the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). It only occurs in a strip along the Andes from Venezuela, via Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, to Bolivia.
The sword-billed hummingbird owes its name to its extremely elongated, slightly upward-curved beak, which can reach a length of around 11 cm and is therefore usually longer than the rest of the body. It therefore has the longest beak of all hummingbirds and is also the only bird in the world where the beak is longer than the body. The plumage is dark green on the upper side of the body and bright emerald green on the underside. The throat and tail are grey to black.
The habitat of the sword-billed hummingbird is the humid mountain forests of the Andes at an altitude of between 1700 m and 3500 m above sea level. This is where it goes in search of its favourite food, which, as with all hummingbirds, consists mainly of flower nectar. Its particularly long, thin beak is an adaptation to its food flowers, which all have a very long and thin funnel. The hummingbird also supplements its diet with insects, which it catches in flight with its beak wide open.
Little is known about the breeding and reproductive behaviour of the Sword-billed Hummingbird. Some reports describe that it builds small nests of moss at a height of around 15 metres.
The population of the sword-billed hummingbird is currently not endangered. It has a large distribution area and is quite common in many places. This is mainly due to the fact that it is an attraction for ecotourists and is therefore well protected in many areas of its range.