a thousand plants growing on one
single tree
throughout the forest this story is
repeated endless times
as a consequence jungles are home to
more species of plants
than anywhere else on earth
and they in turn support a wealth
of animals
in ecuador the competition is at its
most
intense here there are a hundred species
of hummingbirds alone
or fighting for nectar
each flower only has a small amount at
any one time
and so it’s first come first served
one hummingbird has gone to great
lengths
to avoid conflict with other species
sword bills are the only bird with the
beak
longer than their body
and some flowers are too elongated for
the other 99 species of hummingbirds
here
to feed from them
a sword builds extraordinary bee cover
enables it to reach the places that
others can’t
the top of this flower where the sweet
nectar is produced
it has found a solution that means it
doesn’t have to join the fight
and as each long flower blooms it gives
the sword bill a fresh supply of food
all to itself
[Music]
but having a beat longer than your body
does have its drawbacks
for a start it’s tricky to keep it clean
harder still how do you preen your body
feathers
unlike the other hummers sword bills
can’t reach their feathers with their
beak
the only option a good old scratch
[Music]
it’s a little unrefined
but a small price to pay for an
exclusive food supply
