Sword-billed Hummingbird vs Grey-chinned Hermit
Ensifera ensifera compared with Phaethornis griseogularis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sword-billed Hummingbird | Grey-chinned Hermit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ensifera ensifera | Phaethornis griseogularis |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 15.3 cm (6.0 in) | 6.9 cm (2.7 in) |
| Weight | 12.75 g (0.45 oz) | 2.4166666666666665 g (0.09 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore uniquely adapted to extremely long flowers of Passiflora and Datura. Supplements with small insects … | Nectarivore visiting Heliconia, Costus, and banana flowers along forest understory routes. Takes small insects opportunistically. |
| 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.
Grey-chinned Hermit
Sharp, high chip followed by buzzy rattling trill; two-part call with emphatic onset and rough, cascading continuation.
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.
Grey-chinned Hermit
Found along the Andes foothills and adjacent lowlands in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru at 300–1,800 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Grey-chinned 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
Grey-chinned Hermit
Sooty Barbthroat: dark brownish-gray overall; pale buff supercilium; rufous-washed underparts; white-tipped tail feathers; decurved bill
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.
Grey-chinned Hermit
A small hermit hummingbird (9-10 cm) found in Andean foothill forests from Colombia to Peru at 500-2,000 m elevation. Grey chin, green plumage, and rufous underparts. Nectarivore of forest undergrowth. Taxonomy complex, with several subspecies sometimes treated as separate species.