Sword-billed Hummingbird vs Black Metaltail
Ensifera ensifera compared with Metallura phoebe
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sword-billed Hummingbird | Black Metaltail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ensifera ensifera | Metallura phoebe |
| 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) | 5.7325 g (0.20 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore uniquely adapted to extremely long flowers of Passiflora and Datura. Supplements with small insects … | Nectarivore of high Peruvian puna scrub; visits small compact flowers of cushion plants. Gleans tiny … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Thin, reedy whistle with plaintive character; soft nasal tone held briefly then gently fading in mist.
Black Metaltail
Harsh, buzzy rattle with percussive onset; abrupt rough trill erupting suddenly then ceasing in sharp silence.
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.
Black Metaltail
Found in the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia in puna and upper montane scrub at 3,400–5,000 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Black Metaltail
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
Black Metaltail
Fiery-throated Hummingbird: tiny; males with multicolored fiery gorget; metallic blue crown; iridescent green above; females duller
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.
Black Metaltail
A small hummingbird (10-11 cm) endemic to the western Andes of Peru at 3,000-4,500 m. Males all black with iridescent purple-blue throat. Nectarivore of puna scrub, Polylepis woodland, and inter-Andean valleys. A Peruvian endemic. Conspicuous at flowering shrubs.