Sword-billed Hummingbird vs White-browed Hermit
Ensifera ensifera compared with Phaethornis stuarti
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sword-billed Hummingbird | White-browed Hermit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ensifera ensifera | Phaethornis stuarti |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 15.3 cm (6.0 in) | 7.2 cm (2.8 in) |
| Weight | 12.75 g (0.45 oz) | 2.48 g (0.09 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore uniquely adapted to extremely long flowers of Passiflora and Datura. Supplements with small insects … | Nectarivore trap-lining Heliconia patches in humid lowland forest. Supplements with arthropods for breeding protein demands. |
| 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.
White-browed Hermit
Deep, resonant trill with powerful carrying quality; rich vibrating sound audible at great distance in still air.
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-browed Hermit
Endemic to Bolivia and adjacent southwestern Brazil in the Amazon basin. Found in lowland forest at 150–600 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Sword-billed Hummingbird
White-browed 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
White-browed Hermit
Straight-billed Hermit: rufous underparts; olive-brown crown; broad white postocular stripe; elongated whitish tail; distinctively straight 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.
White-browed Hermit
A small hermit hummingbird (10-11 cm) found in Andean foothill forests from Peru to Bolivia at 800-1,800 m elevation. Green plumage with white eyebrow stripe and buffy underparts. Nectarivore of cloud forest undergrowth. Named after the Austrian naturalist Karl Stuart.