Sword-billed Hummingbird

This hummingbird averages 14 cm in length, not including its more than 8 cm long bill. It weighs about 12 grams and is one of the largest species of hummingbirds.
The Sword-billed Hummingbird's name has been derived from its extraordinary long beak that sets it apart from any other birds. Its beak is longer even than the rest of its body (excluding its tail) and somewhat resembles a sword. Their extremely elongated bills and equally long tongues allow them to feed on flowers with long corollas.
The upper plumage is mostly a glittery green. The lower plumage is lighter in the male; and white with greenish-black spots in the female.
The Sword-billed Hummingbirds primarily feed on nectar taken from a variety of brightly colored, scented small flowers of trees, herbs, shrubs and epiphytes. They favor flowers with the highest sugar content (often red-colored and tubular-shaped) and seek out, and aggressively protect, those areas containing flowers with high energy nectar.They use their long, extendible, straw-like tongues to retrieve the nectar while hovering with their tails cocked upward as they are licking at the nectar up to 13 times per second. Sometimes they may be seen hanging on the flower while feeding.

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