thornbill

hummingbird group

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Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

A thornbill is a small, brilliant South American hummingbird with a long, sharp bill. These birds feed on nectar, insects, and sugarcane juice. Thornbills belong to the genera Ramphomicron and Chalcostigma. Hummingbirds, in general, are small birds found in the New World, known for their vibrant colors and ability to hover in flight.12

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hummingbird
Natural history
In the thornbills (Ramphomicron and Chalcostigma) and the velvet-purple coronet (Boissonneaua jardini), it is quite short, but in the sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera), it is unusually long, contributing more than half of the bird’s 21-cm (8.3-inch) length. The bill is slightly downcurved in many species, strongly so…
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In the thornbills (Ramphomicron and Chalcostigma) and the velvet-purple coronet (Boissonneaua jardini), it is quite short, but in the sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera), it is unusually long, contributing more than half of the bird’s 21-cm (8.3-inch) length. The bill is slightly downcurved in many species, strongly so…
Read More