The bumblebee hummingbirds grow only up to 3 inches and weigh no more than 0.1 ounces. The bumblebee hummingbird ( Selasphorus heloisa) is the second-smallest bird, only after a member of its own family – the bee hummingbird. Bumblebee Hummingbird Bumblebee Hummingbird – Photo by Ron Knight ( CC BY 2.0) Primarily found in semi-deciduous or evergreen forests of Ecuador in South America, these little birds thrive on flowering shrubs and trees.Įsmeraldas is sexually dimorphic, and the key difference that sets the males apart from the females is the bright purple throat of the males. One of the rare animals is this neotropical species of birds from the hummingbird family, the Esmeralda woodstars ( Chaetocercus berlepschi) grow only up to 2.5 inches long and weigh almost 0.8 ounces.Īlthough there are six subspecies in the woodstar family, the difference between them is not clearly known because they are poorly studied. Esmeraldas Woodstar – The Smallest Birds in South America Esmeraldas woodstar – Photo by Bert Harris (CC BY-SA 3.0) Unfortunately, these tiny birds are classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss caused by urban development.Ĭheck it out: Largest Birds of Prey 2. However, that increases to 200 beats per second when they engage in a courtship flight. On a typical flight, their wings can beat 80 times per second. Unlike other birds that mate for life, these petite birds are polygamous and have multiple partners throughout their life. Females lay two eggs which are as big as coffee beans. It is easy to distinguish between male and female bee hummingbirds, as the males are brighter and have bluish upper parts, while the females are less colorful and greenish.īecause these are the tiniest birds in the world, you can imagine they don’t lay many eggs. Typically, hummingbirds have slender bodies, but bee hummingbirds are plump and look slightly different from the other hummingbird species.

Weighing only 0.07 ounces, these little birds are the tiniest species of hummingbird. Bee Hummingbird – The Smallest Birds in the World The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the worldīee hummingbirds ( Mellisuga helenae) are the smallest birds in the world and measure only 2.25 inches long. Here are the world’s smallest birds in ascending order: from the smallest to the bigger ones. Without further ado, let’s talk about these tiny birds! 15 Smallest Birds in the World The list goes on.įor this reason, we’re presenting you today with the smallest birds in the world! While most of the tiniest birds are hummingbirds, we also feature some small passerine birds. Curious about the smallest birds in the world? Here’s a fun list of these incredible but small animals!īirds are among our favorite animals because of the fantastic contradictions within this class: fragile and strong, fastest animals and flightless birds, unicolor and colorful birds, cute and weird birds.

Smallest hummingbird