Bee Hummingbird
The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world, about 5 to 6 centimeters long and weighing under 2 grams. It lives only in Cuba and is listed as Near Threatened.
The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is the smallest bird in the world, about 5 to 6 centimeters long and weighing under 2 grams. It lives only in Cuba and is listed as Near Threatened.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Bee Hummingbird in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
The Smallest Bird: Metabolism at the Limit
The tiny bird beats its wings around eighty times a second and feeds on nectar and insects, its heart beating more than a thousand times a minute. To survive cold nights it can enter torpor, dropping its body temperature.
Nests the Size of a Thimble
The female builds a cup-sized nest from spider silk and lichen and lays two eggs the size of coffee beans. Males display with a hum and iridescent, red-pink head and throat feathers.
Threats on One Island
Forest loss and hurricanes affect the bird, which depends on the flowers of Cuban forests. See Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Bee Hummingbird at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Mellisuga helenae |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Apodiformes |
| Family | Trochilidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia: Aves (Birds) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | World's smallest bird at about 2 grams; males have an iridescent magenta-red head and throat; hovers to feed on nectar. |
| IUCN Red List status | Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2021 |
| Mass | Under 2 grams |
See Also
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird — a larger hummingbird
- Common Swift — a relative with a very different lifestyle