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

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.

Your name (required)

Your email address (required)

Your email address will not be published

Comment (required)

I agree to receive updates and news from Birdorable

You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Birdorable to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

Kingfisher Week Kicks Off!

October 5, 2014

This week, we're celebrating the world's kingfishers! There are about 90 species of kingfisher in the world. These darling birds are often colorful, and they can be found all around the world. Join us as we highlight kingfishers on the Birdorable blog October 5-11, 2014! To kick things...

T-Shirt Tuesday: Vulture Week Edition

September 1, 2015

We're celebrating Vulture Week because this Saturday, September 5th, marks International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). This commemorative day has been celebrated since at least 2009 and aims to highlight the importance of vultures and vulture conservation through education. We're excited to offer several new apparel styles via our...

ABA Honors Common Loon as 2025 Bird of the Year

January 9, 2025

The American Birding Association (ABA) has selected the Common Loon as its Bird of the Year for 2025. The ABA's Bird of the Year program aims to inspire and educate birding enthusiasts by spotlighting a particular species annually. The program began in 2011 with the

2013 Bonanza Bird #25: Northern Gannet

July 25, 2013

We're adding new birds each day until we reach our 500th Birdorable species! Today's Bonanza bird is the Northern Gannet. The Northern Gannet is a large species of seabird found around northern waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They breed off of North...

Birdorable Blog