The title of the bird with the longest beak, relative to body size, goes to the very aptly named swordbilled hummingbird.
This bird’s amazing beak, which can reach lengths of about 12cm, is longer than its body, allowing it to access nectar from the longest, thinnest blooms that other hummingbird beaks can’t reach
It is the only bird whose beak is longer than the rest of the body (excluding the tail).
Such a large bill carries two main drawbacks. Swordbilled hummingbirds must hold their heads up at a steep angle when perching to maintain balance, and have to use their feet to groom their plumage.
Swordbilled hummingbirds live in the the Andean region of South America at altitudes of around 1,700–3,500m and is one of the largest species of hummingbird (there are at least 250 different species of hummingbird)
Thanks to its dagger-like beak the swordbilled hummingbird made it onto our list of weirdest birds in the world
The title of bird with largest beak goes to the toco toucan
Main image: Swordbilled hummingbird © Getty Images
