Science
Related: About this forumTHIS IS THE SMALLEST BIRD IN THE WORLD
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BY KAREN CORDAY/SEPT. 8, 2020 1:32 PM EDT
According to Guinness World Records, the world's smallest bird is the bee hummingbird, also known by its Latin name, Mellisuga helenae. Bee hummingbirds are exclusively found in Cuba and are so tiny that they are often mistaken for insects. Male bee hummingbirds measure an average of 57 millimeters (2.24 inches) in length and weigh about 1.6 grams (0.056 ounces), which is less than a dime; female birds are a bit larger. Reports One Kind Planet, these tiny birds build nests just 2.5 centimeters wide (less than an inch) out of lichen, bark, and cobwebs, in which they lay two eggs the size of green peas.
Their breeding season takes place between March and June and male hummingbirds form groups called leks in which they "sing and perform competitive mating displays to attract females." Hummingbirds are polygamous, so one male might mate with many females during this season. The eggs incubate over a period of just three weeks and while the babies hatch blind with no feathers, they leave the nest as soon as their wing feathers grow in, which takes less than a month.
TINY. VERY TINY
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Because the bee hummingbird is so small, it competes with insects for resources, as opposed to other birds. Per One Kind Planet, bee hummingbirds eat flower nectar and occasional insects, consuming up to half their body weight per day while helping pollinate over 1,500 flowers in the process. According to Wired, they can beat their little wings up to 200 times per second and often slip into a state of "torpor," or deep sleep, to conserve the enormous amounts of energy it takes to be so small and move so fast.
How and why did bee hummingbirds evolve to be so dramatically tiny? Ecologist Bo Dalsgaard told Wired that the Caribbean islands as a whole are known for hosting different sizes of hummingbirds. In Cuba, the larger native species is the emerald hummingbird, which grows to be twice the size of the bee hummingbird. Dalsgaard explained that the emerald hummingbird probably came to Cuba first and established itself as the alpha species; bee hummingbirds then evolved to be smaller in order to compete with insects for food, instead of their larger counterparts, and carved out their niche within Cuba's ecosystem.
Read More: https://www.grunge.com/244373/this-is-the-smallest-bird-in-the-world/?utm_campaign=clip
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)TY, Judi Lynn!
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Ty for sharing!
Dave in VA
(2,034 posts)nature is amazing!
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,276 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)hlthe2b
(101,714 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)MuseRider
(34,058 posts)Amazing little birds. I was just watching the ruby-throated hummingbirds fight at my feeders as they get ready to head to Mexico or farther. Fat little things they are right now.
I had heard about Bee Hummingbirds but knew nothing at all about them. Thank you for the info and those beautiful pictures!
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)before heading south.
Unbelievable distance for such tiny travelers. . .
So glad you have offered them food during their stay north of the border.
2naSalit
(86,048 posts)I would take a vacation to Cuba just to see one of those!
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)A lot of Canadian and European regular visitors to Cuba have expressed dread for the time US tourists will start pouring into Cuba, as they think it's wonderful as it is now!
Anyone who treats the island and the people with respect has always been deeply appreciated.
A lot of folks simply go to third countries like Canada, Mexico, or other Latin American or Caribbean countries and go from there to Cuba, and return the same way. Cuba doesn't stamp passports for U.S. Americans at the airport, I've heard.
Bayard
(21,805 posts)Thanks for posting.
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)shenmue
(38,501 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)scipan
(2,296 posts)Kidding.
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)Evolve Dammit
(16,632 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)softydog88
(126 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)burrowowl
(17,606 posts)Thanks for post!
iluvtennis
(19,757 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)RestoreAmerica2020
(3,433 posts)..watching them--yet these tiny bee hummingbirds are just stunning. Will read more. Thanks for sharing. Paz
Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)niyad
(112,434 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)Tanuki
(14,893 posts)TexasBushwhacker
(20,043 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,217 posts)cojoel
(952 posts)Inside that little bird's head is more brain power than inside of Eric's head. Or Junior's. Or their father's.