Sword-billed Hummingbird vs Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Ensifera ensifera compared with Urosticte benjamini
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sword-billed Hummingbird | Purple-bibbed Whitetip |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ensifera ensifera | Urosticte benjamini |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae | Trochilidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 15.3 cm (6.0 in) | 10.1 cm (4.0 in) |
| Weight | 12.75 g (0.45 oz) | 4.0 g (0.14 oz) |
| Diet | Nectarivore uniquely adapted to extremely long flowers of Passiflora and Datura. Supplements with small insects … | Nectarivore of Ecuadorian and Colombian cloud forest; visits Ericaceae and epiphyte flowers. Gleans small arthropods. |
| 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.
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Rough, buzzy chatter with energetic rhythm; coarse notes delivered rapidly with distinctive raw texture near territory.
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.
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Found on the western and central Andes of Colombia and Ecuador in cloud forest. 800–2,000 m elevation.
Conservation Status
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
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
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Buff-winged Starfrontlet (alt): tiny; males with brilliant violet gorget; metallic green; buff wing stripe; females green above; spots
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.
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
A small hummingbird (9-10 cm) found in Andean cloud forests from Colombia to Ecuador at 1,000-2,400 m. Green plumage with purple bib and white tail tips. Nectarivore of montane forest undergrowth and edges. Named whitetip for the white-tipped tail feathers.