Every life is precious in this world. Even a small bird, insect as huge impact on not only nature but also on human life. Birds are the beautiful creations of God. Along with beautiful nature these birds increase the beauty of the nature. They also play a very significant role in natural life cycle. But it is unfortunate that many of the rarest species of birds are decreasing day by day. Likewise one species of bird that is popular as the smallest bird in the world, i.e Bee Hummingbird.
The Bee Hummingbird, Zunzuncito or Helena Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird, native to the island of Cuba in the Caribbean. It is the world’s smallest bird.
Females weigh 2.6 g and are 6.1 cm long, and are slightly larger than males, which have an average weight of 1.95 g and length of 5.5 cm. 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. 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.
An absolute miniature, even among hummingbirds, it measures only two and a quarter inches long. Often mistaken for bees, they weigh less than a dime. The female builds a nest barely an inch across, and lays eggs about the size of a coffee bean.
The bee hummingbird is endemic to the entire Cuban archipelago, including the main island of Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud in the West Indies. It’s population is fragmented, it is found in Cuba’s Mogote areas.These teeny tiny birds typically hang out in flat, lowland areas, but they can be pretty hard to spot.
The hummingbirds may be small, but bee hummingbirds are ravenous animals. They eat nearly half their own body weight and consume more than eight times their mass in water each day.
Not only is the bee hummingbird the smallest hummingbird species in the world, but it is also the smallest species of bird on Earth. Being so small makes these beautiful birds easy targets for larger predators. Bee hummingbirds are often targeted by bigger birds as well as spiders, wasps, praying mantises, frogs, rats, and mongooses. Many of these predators are not native to Cuba and were introduced to the islands by humans.
In addition, these birds are very vulnerable to changes in climate as well as storms and suffer from habitat loss and deforestation. Their populations have declined enough that the bee hummingbird is now considered a near-threatened species.