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Sword-billed Hummingbird

A species of Sword-billed Hummingbird
Scientific name : Ensifera ensifera Genus : Sword-billed Hummingbird

Sword-billed Hummingbird, A species of Sword-billed Hummingbird
Botanical name: Ensifera ensifera
Genus: Sword-billed Hummingbird
Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) Photo By Don Faulkner , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

Sword-billed hummingbirds perch on the mid- to upper-level branches of neotropical trees. Lengths are 13–14 centimetres (5.1–5.5 in) from the tail tip to the base of the bill, with males slightly larger on average than females. The bill can additionally be over 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long. Individuals weigh between 10–15 grams (0.35–0.53 oz), making it one of the largest species of hummingbirds. As is characteristic of hummingbirds, E. ensifera can fly backwards and hover in the air. It also exhibits higher than average wing-disc loading than other members of its family. E. ensifera displays sexual dimorphism where plumage varies between males and females. Males have a coppery bronze head, bronze green back, bright green underbelly, blackish green throat, and bronze green tail. Females have a similarly colored head and back, a white belly speckled with green, a more olive colored throat, and grayish white edging around the tail.
Size
23 cm
Feeding Habits
Sword-billed Hummingbird thrives on nectar, particularly from long-corolla flowers like Passiflora and Datura. Its extreme beak length suits its specialized feeding, facilitating in-flight drinking and trap-line foraging, which enhances pollination.
Habitat
Sword-billed Hummingbird primarily inhabits neotropical montane cloud forests in the Andean region. The species resides year-round at elevations between 1,700 and 3,500 meters, with a higher prevalence at 2,500 to 3,000 meters. These birds favor areas rich in nectar-producing flowers, which are abundant in their environment. Typical habitats include humid to semi-humid upper montane forests and edges, as well as páramo shrub patches, elfin woodlands, gardens, and hedgerows. Despite its wide geographical range, sword-billed Hummingbird is unevenly distributed and generally elusive, occupying a habitat that spans diverse elevations and vegetation types in the high Andes.
Dite type
Nectivorous

General Info

Distribution Area

Ensifera ensifera is a neotropical hummingbird found throughout tropical montane cloud forests of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. It is found at higher elevations of 1,700–3,300 metres (5,600–10,800 ft), but the most common occurrences are between 2,400–3,100 metres (7,900–10,200 ft). This is a preferred habitat due to the concentration of nectar producing flowers. It is a year-round resident of all three Andes ranges, with no known migration patterns. While the species is considered to have stable numbers and a wide geographic range (over 60,000 square km), it is unevenly distributed and hard to find, making the species difficult to research.

Species Status

The sword-billed hummingbird is considered of "Least Concern" by the IUCN. There is no sign of population decline or visible threats to the species. There is also no census on global number of individuals, because of the large range of occurrence and uncommon sightings. Climate change and deforestation are the two most probable threats to E. ensifera in the future since this can lead to habitat loss and decreased food sources, especially of Passiflora mixta.
Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) Photo By Don Faulkner , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
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