The smallest bird in the world is a hummingbird. In particular, the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), which weighs in at about .06 ounces (1.8 grams). That’s less than a US penny! The Bee Hummingbird is only found in Cuba and the Isle of Pines off New Caledonia in the Coral Sea.
The Bee Hummingbird consumes nectar from flowers to fill its energy needs but, like all hummingbirds, also eats insects for nutrition, protein and vitamins not present in nectar.
Other interesting facts about the Bee Hummingbird - its wings beat at around 60-80 beats/ minute and as fast as 200 beats a minute when mating! Like other hummingbirds, Bee Hummingbirds are hearty eaters, consuming almost 8 times their mass in liquid every day (that’s not counting the insects they eat as well).
For additional information on attracting and feeding hummingbirds, visit the Hummingbird Feeding Guide. Remember, though, that hummingbirds are only found in the Americas.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:22 am
[…] previous post - What is the smallest bird in the world - prompted this question. Most people think that hummingbirds eat nectar from sweet flowers. […]
HowDoWhy » What is the largest hummingbird in the world? Says:June 27th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
[…] hummingbird in the world is the South American Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas). As mentioned in What is the smallest bird in the world, the Bee Hummingbird, at .06 ounces, is dwarfed by the Giant Hummingbird which weighs in at an […]