Sword-billed Hummingbird vs White-tipped Sicklebill
Ensifera ensifera compared with Eutoxeres aquila
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sword-billed Hummingbird | White-tipped Sicklebill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ensifera ensifera | Eutoxeres aquila |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 15.3 cm (6.0 in) | 14.1 cm (5.6 in) |
| Weight | 12.75 g (0.45 oz) | 11.366666666666667 g (0.40 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore uniquely adapted to extremely long flowers of Passiflora and Datura. Supplements with small insects … | Feeds on floral nectar and small invertebrates; males defend nectar-rich territories against other hummingbirds. |
| Clutch Size | -- | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Sword-billed Hummingbird only
White-tipped Sicklebill only
None
Song & Call Comparison
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Thin, reedy whistle with plaintive character; soft nasal tone held briefly then gently fading in mist.
White-tipped Sicklebill
Rapid, sibilant twittering; light, feathery notes cascading quickly with barely perceptible pauses between loose phrases.
Geographic Range & Migration
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Found in Andean cloud forests from Venezuela south through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. 1,700–3,500 m.
White-tipped Sicklebill
Found in humid forests from Costa Rica south through Panama to western Ecuador. Resident at 200–1,600 m in dense undergrowth with Heliconia.
Conservation Status
Sword-billed Hummingbird
White-tipped Sicklebill
How to Tell Them Apart
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Olivaceous Thornbill: males with iridescent purple gorget; metallic olive-bronze above; white underparts; females green above; spots
White-tipped Sicklebill
Dark brown and buff striped underparts; green-bronze upperparts; white-tipped tail feathers; extremely curved sickle-shaped bill; sexes similar; Andean heliconia specialist with diagnostic strongly decurved bill and boldly streaked underparts.
About These Birds
Sword-billed Hummingbird
A remarkable hummingbird (14-15 cm body) with a bill as long as its body (8-10 cm), the longest bill relative to body size of any bird. Found in Andean cloud forests from Venezuela to Bolivia at 1,700-3,500 m. The extraordinarily long bill evolved to feed on deep tubular Passiflora flowers.
White-tipped Sicklebill
A medium-sized hummingbird (12-14 cm) with a dramatically decurved bill, adapted for extracting nectar from curved Heliconia flowers. Green plumage with a buff-streaked breast and white-tipped tail. Found in humid forests from Costa Rica to Peru. A specialized pollinator.