Bufft-tailed Sicklebill Hummingbird - Ecuador


Ecuador is named for its location on the equator, an imaginary line separating the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth. Ecuador is the only country where temperature and latitude can reach zero. Cayambe, a volcano of 5,790 meters, is a mountain located on the equator featuring a permanent snow cover.

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Eutoxeres condamini - The buff-tailed sicklebill hummingbird measures 13 to 15 centimeters in length; males being slightly larger than females. It is one of the largest hummingbirds and is endemic to Southern Colombia and Northern Ecuador. The sharp downward curvature of its bill is an adaptation allowing it to feed primarily on flowers of the centropogon and heliconia genera. The buff-tailed sicklebill is a trap-line feeder. This term describes birds feeding on the same plant on a regular and timely schedule.