what is the smallest bird in the world?

Hummingbirds are marvels of the sky, famed for their unique and impressive flying abilities. They may be the world’s smallest birds, but there is no risk of them flying under the radar thanks to their eye-catchingly colourful plumage.

The hummingbird family is 368 species strong, in a range of shapes, sizes, and dazzling colours. They are native to the Americas, with the highest diversity around the Tropics.

The greatest risk to their survival is habitat loss. Many species breed in old, tropical forests which are facing deforestation. Hummingbirds time their migration based on when flowers are due to bloom – however, climate change is causing many plants to bloom earlier than usual, reducing food availability. Other threats include pesticide poisoning and collision with windows.

smallest bird

Their eggs are about the size of a coffee bean and can comfortably be placed in a nest the size of a quarter. Keeping things in currency terms, each bee hummingbird weighs less than a dime. Or to put things in a more naturalist perspective, they’re only a tiny bit bigger than the average bumblebee. Unfortunately, that size also makes them a target for the same animals that would feed on bumblebees — most notably mongoose, wasps, frogs, and spiders.

The heartbeat of these miniature birds averages an astounding 80 beats per second, but they can more than double that in the height of the mating season. That’s energy that they can’t afford to waste, considering that the bee hummingbird has to feed on up to 1500 flowers a day for its sustenance. The bee hummingbird isn’t just difficult to find because it’s so small. It also requires taking a trip to Cuba. This isolated island nation is also the only known habitat of the species.

Hummingbirds have compact, strongly muscled bodies and rather long, bladelike wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, articulate (connect) to the body only from the shoulder joint. The architecture of the wing permits hummingbirds to fly not only forward but also straight up and down, sideways, and backward and to hover in front of flowers as they obtain nectar and insects from them.

The rate at which a hummingbird beats its wings is the same during directional and hovering flight. It varies with the size of the bird—the larger the bird, the lower the rate. Consequently, the smallest hummingbirds have extremely rapid wing-beat rates. In Calliphlox amethystina, one of the tiniest species, the male has a wing-beat rate of about 80 per second; the female, which is larger, beats her wings at a rate of about 60 times per second.

Hummingbirds body

The ruby-throated hummingbird has a wing-beat rate of about 70 per second in the male and about 50 per second in the female. The rate is much lower in the larger hummingbirds; the giant hummingbird, for example, beats its wings only about 10 times per second. In fact, the larger hummingbirds appear to beat their wings more slowly than do other birds of comparable size.

The hummingbird’s body feathers are sparse and often strongly metallic and rather scalelike in appearance. The sexes are alike in appearance in a few species but are different in most species; males of the latter species display a variety of brilliance and ornamentation rivaled only by birds-of-paradise and certain pheasants. The most typical badge is the gorget, a bib of iridescent feathers the colour of which depends on the viewing angle. Other specializations include crests; abbreviated or thickened shafts of wing feathers; spatulate, wiry, or flaglike tail feathers; and “pantaloons,” tufts of puffy feathers on the thighs (usually white).

Food

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feed on the nectar of red or orange tubular flowers such as trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, honeysuckle, jewelweed, bee-balm, red buckeye and red morning glory, as well as at hummingbird feeders and, sometimes, tree sap. Hummingbirds also catch insects in midair or pull them out of spider webs. Main insect prey includes mosquitoes, gnats, fruit flies, and small bees; also eats spiders. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds sometimes take insects attracted to sap wells or picks small caterpillars and aphids from leaves.

A Highlight on our Cuba tours

The Bee Hummingbird is, needless to say, a highlight on our tours to Cuba. Spotting this tiny gem is a thrill, especially to know you are watching the smallest hummingbird in the world. Cuba is full of interesting birds in addition to the Bee Hummingbird, such as the unusual Bare-legged Owl and the spectacular Cuban Trogon. Check out our past trip reports to Cuba and join us for our next tour to this amazing country.

But no matter where you are in the Americas, there are likely hummingbirds around your area that you can attract. Attracting hummingbirds is a very fun activity for the whole family! These bold, tiny birds are entertaining and beautiful. Check out this article if you want to learn more about attracting hummingbirds to your backyard.

During the mating season the male bee hummingbirds make considerable changes

The mating season runs from March to June, and during this time the male bee hummingbirds’ head, chin, and throat become a bright shade of red as a way to show off to the (less colourful) females. Bee hummingbirds generally live solitary lives, although in mating season the males form small singing groups which a female hummingbird will visit to select a mate.

As well as showing off with their voice and bright colours, the males have other ways to demonstrate their value to an observing female. They each put on aerial displays, including dives in which they flutter their tail feathers. The female chooses the male she finds most impressive.

Bee hummingbirds beat their wings up to 80 times per second

To say this bird is restless is to put it mildly. In fact, they are able to fly for up to 20 hours without a break. Their fast beating wings allow them to reach speeds of 25-30 miles per hour. They are able to fly up, down, backwards and upside down. It is the sound of the wings that gives the birds their onomatopoeic name in both Spanish and English. Intriguingly, in English the sound is considered a “hum”, hence “hummingbird” whereas in Spanish it is considered a “zun”, hence “zunzuncito”.

Whilst its common for them to beat their wings up to 80 times per second, males bee hummingbirds are known to beat their wings as much as 200 times per second during a courtship display

10 Facts About Hummingbirds

1. They are the smallest migrating bird. They don’t migrate in flocks like other species, and they typically travel alone for up to 500 miles at a time.

2. The name, hummingbird, comes from the humming noise their wings make as they beat so fast.

3. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards.

4. Hummingbirds have no sense of smell. While they can’t sniff out feeders, they do have good color vision. Some birds like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prefer orange or red flowers. Despite this, red dye should not be used in nectar as it could harm the birds. Instead, plant naturally red or orange flowers or use feeders that have red coloring in their structure.

5. The average weight of a hummingbird is less than a nickel.

6. Their tiny legs are only used for perching and moving sideways while perched. They can’t walk or hop.

7. Hummingbirds drink the nectar found in feeders by moving their tongue in and out about 13 times per second. They can consume up to double their body weight in a day.

8. The average number of eggs laid by female hummingbirds is only two. These eggs have been found in nests smaller than a half dollar and compare in size to a jellybean or a coffee bean. Some species, like the Black-chinned Hummingbird make their nests with plant down, spider silk, and other natural resources that can expand as their babies grow after hatching.

9. A flock of hummingbirds can be referred to as a bouquet, a glittering, a hover, a shimmer, or a tune.

10. There are over 330 species of hummingbirds in North and South America. Common species in the U.S.