Sword-billed Hummingbird vs Tapajos Hermit
Ensifera ensifera compared with Phaethornis aethopygus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sword-billed Hummingbird | Tapajos Hermit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ensifera ensifera | Phaethornis aethopygus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 15.3 cm (6.0 in) | 8.2 cm (3.2 in) |
| Weight | 12.75 g (0.45 oz) | 3.0 g (0.11 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore uniquely adapted to extremely long flowers of Passiflora and Datura. Supplements with small insects … | Nectar generalist visiting a wide range of forest flowers; also catches small arthropods by aerial … |
| Clutch Size | -- | -- |
| 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.
Tapajos Hermit
Rapid, bubbling series of soft notes; pleasant liquid twittering reminiscent of water over pebbles in a shallow stream.
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.
Tapajos Hermit
Found in the Amazon basin in Brazil, primarily along the Tapajós River and its tributaries. Resident in humid lowland forest undergrowth.
Conservation Status
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Tapajos Hermit
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
Tapajos Hermit
Small hermit; bronze-green upperparts with orange-buff rump; pale buff underparts with faint streaking; pale supercilium; white-tipped elongated central tail feathers; Amazonian species recently split; orange-buff rump distinctive among small hermits.
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.
Tapajos Hermit
A small hermit hummingbird (10-11 cm) found along the Tapajós River basin in central Brazil. Green plumage with rufous underparts. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth. Recently described as a species distinct from other Phaethornis hermits based on vocal and plumage differences.