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| Mellisuga helenae (Lembeye, 1850) |
The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a hummingbird, and the smallest of all birds (with the male being smaller than the female of the species). It can be found in Cuba (where it is called the zunzuncito) and in the Isle of Youth. Its mass is approximately 1.8 grams, which is lighter than a United States dime, and it is about 5 cm (2 inches) long.
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Description
The male has the pileum and fiery red throat, the iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. While more apt to be mistaken for a bee than a bird because of the size, the bird is not a mimic.
Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a pink to red head, chin, and throat. Non-breeding males look like females, except that their wingtips have blue spots.
Facts
The bee hummingbird may be the world's smallest warm-blooded vertebrate, rivaled only by the Etruscan Shrew and the Bumblebee Bat. When flying, its wings beat 80 times per second, up to 200 times per second during courtship displays. Its heart rate is the second fastest of all animals. Bee hummingbirds also have the fewest feathers of all birds. Their body temperature is 40 °C (104 °F), the highest of all birds. At night, their body temperature drops down 19 °C (66 °F) to save energy. Bee hummingbirds eat half their total body mass and drink 8 times their total body mass in water each day. The bee hummingbird can be found in woodland, shrubbery, and gardens in Cuba and the Isle of Youth. Its nest, the smallest of all birds, and is only 3 cm across. The bee hummingbird's diet consists mainly of nectar and insects.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Mellisuga helenae. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
External links
- Bee Hummingbird videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Bee Hummingbird videos on the [1]
- Bee Hummingbird photo gallery VIREO
- Article with synopsis (with photos); Photo
