2015 Bonanza Bird #8: Bee Hummingbird

December 8, 2015 in Birdorable Bonanza 2015, Hummingbirds and New Birds with 7 comments

Today our Birdorable Bonanza: 2015 Advent Edition continues with the smallest species of bird in the world: the Bee Hummingbird!

An adult Bee Hummingbird weighs in at 2 grams or less, which is lighter than an American penny coin. In fact, a nickname for this tiny 2-inch long bird is the "Penny Hummingbird". It is both the smallest and the lightest species of bird in the world. The second-smallest living species of bird in the world is the Bumblebee Hummingbird.

The tiny size of the Bee Hummingbird may be attributed to competition with other hummingbirds in its habitat. Over time the species evolved to feed on smaller flowers than other hummingbird species that shared its habitat.

Bee Hummingbirds are endemic to Cuba, meaning they are found only on the islands of that country and no where else on earth. They are non-migratory but may disperse during the year depending on availability of nectar-producing flowers.

Mellisuga helenae by Ekaterina Chernetsova (CC BY 2.0)

The Bee Hummingbird is our 624th Birdorable bird and our 7th species of hummingbird. Be sure to check out our collection of apparel and gifts featuring the Birdorable Bee Hummingbird! Our Bonanza continues tomorrow with a common North American flycatcher that sings its name. Can you guess tomorrow's species?

Comments

???c????? ????? (White-throated Sparrow) on December 8, 2015 at 3:31 PM wrote:

Again right... And eh, Eastern Wood-Pewee?

MARK H LAWRENCE on December 8, 2016 at 9:03 PM wrote:

Many who read these, my words, may find them overly sentimental, even pathetic and a bit soppy. Go ahead. But as I've spent the past two hours looking at various websites dealing with these exquisite (no single word seems beautiful or all-encompassing enough) creatures. Unique? Absolutely! Beautiful? Yep. Cute? NO!!! When you begin to get to know these tiniest of birds, and think about their superb nervous system and tiny brain that works so brilliantly they can fly forwards, backwards, sideways, up and down, all achieved by their wings flapping as fast as 80 per. sec. - and at its peak, a heart beat of 1200 per. min. (yes, 1200!!) you'll fall in love again. Oh, just as a by the way, if a hummingbird goes more than 4 hours (yes, only four!) their tiny bodies being to starve.

MARK LAWRENCE on December 8, 2016 at 9:10 PM wrote:

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. The final sentence in my long comment (above) should read: "Oh, just as a by the way, if a hummingbird goes more than 4 hours (yes, only four!) without food, their tiny bodies being to starve." The reason? Try a workout equivalent to that which their tiny bodies must maintain most of their waking life and you'd have to eat something like a large fridge full of hamburgers - a BIG fridge!!!

Louise Warner on March 17, 2017 at 10:11 AM wrote:

black phoebe?

Louise Warner on March 17, 2017 at 10:13 AM wrote:

eastern wood pewee?

Louise Warner on April 9, 2017 at 6:19 PM wrote:

eastern phoebe?

Spurwing Plover on May 21, 2022 at 10:47 PM wrote:

The worlds smallists Bird smaller then our own Hummingbirds

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