Sword-billed Hummingbird

For the orthopteran suborder Ensifera, commonly known as crickets, see Ensifera.

Sword-billed Hummingbird
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Genus:	Ensifera Lesson, 1843
Species:	E. ensifera
Binomial name
Ensifera ensifera (Boissonneau, 1840)

Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a species of hummingbird from South America and the sole member of the genus Ensifera. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Etymology

The genus and species name ensifera ("sword-wielder") is derived from Latin ensis (sword) and ferre (to carry), and refers to this hummingbird's remarkable beak length.

Description

It is noted as the only species of bird to have a bill longer than the rest of its body. This adaptation is to feed on flowers with long corollas such as Passiflora mixta. The tongue is therefore also unusually long.

Since the Sword-billed Hummingbird's beak is very long, it grooms itself with its feet.^[1] From base of the bill to the tail tip, this species is 14 cm (5.5 in) long, not counting the 8 cm+ bill. This hummingbird weighs about 12 grams and is one of the largest species of hummingbirds.

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  From Haeckel

References

1. ^ Clayton, Dale H; Cotgreave, Peter (1994). "Relationship of bill morphology to grooming behaviour in birds" (PDF). Animal Behaviour 47 (1): 195–201. doi:10.1006/anbe.1994.1022. http://darwin.biology.utah.edu/PubsHTML/PDF-Files/21.pdf. 

External links

• Video of female using feet for grooming on the Internet Bird Collection website
• Mangoverde world bird guide
• Skeleton of Sword-billed Hummingbird at the Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound

This hummingbird-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: IUCN Red List least concern species Trochilinae Genera of birds Monotypic bird genera Birds of South America Hummingbird species of South America Hummingbird stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? The Knockout Swede Savage Look at other dictionaries: sword-billed hummingbird — kardasnapiai kolibriai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Ensifera angl. sword billed hummingbird vok. Schwertschnabelkolibri, m rus. колибри мечеклюв, m; мечеклюв, m pranc. colibri porte épée, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas sword-billed hummingbird — kardasnapis kolibris statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Ensifera ensifera angl. sword billed hummingbird vok. Schwertschnabelkolibri, m rus. колибри мечеклюв, m pranc. colibri porte épée, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas sword-billed hummingbird — noun see swordbill * * * sword billed hummingbird «SRD BIHLD, SOHRD », = swordbill. (Cf. ↑swordbill) …   Useful english dictionary Hummingbird — Taxobox name = Hummingbird image width = 250px image caption = Female Black chinned Hummingbird regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves subclassis = Neornithes infraclassis = Neognathae unranked ordo = Cypselomorphae ordo = Apodiformes …   Wikipedia hummingbird — /hum ing berrd /, n. a very small nectar sipping New World bird of the family Trochilidae, characterized by the brilliant, iridescent plumage of the male, a slender bill, and narrow wings, the extremely rapid beating of which produces a humming… …   Universalium List of birds of Colombia — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Colombia. The avifauna of Colombia includes a total of 1895 species, of which 74 are endemic, 2 have been introduced by humans, and 87 are rare or accidental. 1 species listed is extirpated in… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Ecuador — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Ecuador. The avifauna of Ecuador includes a total of 1663 species, of which 16 are endemic, 2 have been introduced by humans, and 19 are rare or accidental. 77 species are globally threatened.This… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Peru — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Peru. The avifauna of Peru includes a total of 1879 species, of which 139 are endemic, 3 have been introduced by humans, and 72 are rare or accidental. 91 species are globally threatened.This list s… …   Wikipedia Sibley-Monroe checklist 5 — The Sibley Monroe checklist was a landmark document in the study of birds. It drew on extensive DNA DNA hybridisation studies to reassess the relationships between modern birds. ApodiformesApodidae* Cypseloides rutilus Chestnut collared Swift *… …   Wikipedia List of birds of Venezuela — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Venezuela. The avifauna of Venezuela includes a total of 1417 species, of which 48 are endemic, 6 have been introduced by humans, and 34 are rare or accidental. 27 species are globally… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”