A hypodermic needle is a medical instrument made up of a hollow needle normally used with a syringe to inject substances into the body. And that's exactly what this bird's beak looks like.
It is the longest beak in relation to the total length of the body and belongs to the sword-billed hummingbird.
Swordpecker Hummingbird
He sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a species of hummingbird that lives in the Andes (from Venezuela to Bolivia), presenting a beak and a long tongue as an adaptation to its diet based on the nectar of certain types of flowers.
It has a beak of 10.2 centimeters, that is, it is longer than its body (if the tail is excluded).
More than 25 centimeters from the end of its tail to the tip of its prodigious beak, we are also facing the longest hummingbird.
It is tan-green on the head, more metallic on the rest of the body, with a somewhat long and forked tail. The female similarly unmistakable, with whiter ventral parts, with green spots towards the sides. It weighs 12 g.
When it perches to maintain its balance, its beak is raised, pointing towards the sky.
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The news
This bird's beak is so long that it looks like a hypodermic needle.
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.