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The Sword-billed Hummingbird
An amazing adaptation comes with a few challenges.
© Andy Morffew
To out-sip their competition, Sword-billed Hummingbirds have a distinct adaptation: these birds’ beaks are longer than their bodies. Found in temperate forests from Venezuela to Bolivia, these hummingbirds rely entirely on tube-like flowers that other species could never reach. While most birds can use their tongues to clean their feathers, the Sword-billed Hummingbird’s long beak gets in the way – so they use their legs to scratch themselves instead.
This episode is brought to you by Wild Delight Bird Food, which aims to support wild bird populations with clean, nutritious ingredients in every blend. Available at Chewy.com.
BirdNote®
The Sword-billed Hummingbird
Written by Benjamin Swift
This is BirdNote.
[Sword-billed Hummingbird flapping wings]
Birds in the subtropics of the Andes Mountains have to be creative to get their share of food from the forest. To out-sip their competition, Sword-billed Hummingbirds have a distinct adaptation: these birds’ beaks are longer than their bodies.
[Sword-billed Hummingbird calling in flight]
Found in temperate forests from Venezuela to Bolivia, these hummingbirds have co-evolved with various flower species to create a niche food source. They rely entirely on tube-like flowers that other species could never reach.
[Sword-billed Hummingbird flapping wings]
While their swordlike beaks are handy for reaching a snack undisturbed by others, a beak that long doesn’t come without challenges. For one thing, it’s difficult to keep clean. The solution: sliding it back and forth against tree branches, like a knight sharpening their blade.
Then there’s the problem of cleaning their feathers. Most birds can easily use their tongues, since they don’t have a big awkward beak to get in the way. Instead, Sword-billed Hummingbirds put their flexibility to the test and clean themselves with a good ‘ol scratch from their legs.
[Sword-billed Hummingbird flapping wings]
So, one big adaptation leads to new challenges. But these clever birds are up to the job.
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
This episode is brought to you by Wild Delight Bird Food, which aims to support wild bird populations with clean, nutritious ingredients in every blend. Available at Chewy.com
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Sword-billed Hummingbird ML335010891 recorded by Mauricio Alvarez, and Sword-billed Hummingbird ML326210021 recorded by Josep del Hoyo. Sword-billed Hummingbird ML260830 recorded by M Hernandez
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote December 2023 / March 2026
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# SWBHUM-01-2023-12-12 SWBHUM-01
Reference
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/swbhum1/cur/introduction
https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=191F838FFB97AC1B
Benjamin Swift
Writer