Sword-billed Hummingbird

*Top 50 Target Species

The Sword-billed Hummingbird is a remarkable Andean species found in Ecuador’s montane cloud forests between 1,700 and 3,300 meters, where it specializes in feeding from long-tubed flowers like Passiflora mixta. Its extraordinary bill—longer than its body—has coevolved with these plants, allowing it to pollinate blooms inaccessible to other birds. Though globally listed as Least Concern, it faces localized threats from deforestation and climate change that may alter its floral resources and elevational range. In Ecuador, it is most often seen in humid forest edges and gardens from the eastern slopes of the Andes to reserves near Quito and Loja.