Bee Hummingbird

The Bee Hummingbird is also known in native Cuba as ZUNZUNCITO (Mellisuga Helenae). At 5.7 centimeters (2.24 inches) in length and 1.7 grams (0.06 ounces), the world’s smallest bird is hardly larger than a bee. While the Bee hummingbird flies from flower to flower, it transfers pollen, it feeds primarily on nectar and the the occasional spider or insect.

The bee hummingbird is the smallest living bird. Females weigh 2.6 g (0.092 oz) and are 6.1 cm (2.4 in) long, and are slightly larger than males, with an average weight of 1.95 g (0.069 oz) and length of 5.5 cm (2.2 in). As its name suggests, it is scarcely larger than a bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier.

The male has a green pileum and bright red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white.The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below, with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the bee hummingbird looks rounded and plump.

Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tail feathers have white spots. During the mating season, males have a reddish to pink head, chin, and throat. The female lays only two eggs at a time, each about the size of a coffee bean.