Bee Hummingbird Facts

The world's smallest bird in existence, the bee hummingbird's population is drastically decreasing because of climate change and deforestation. A Bee Hummingbird's natural habitat is in Cuba. Even though they build their nest both on high and low altitudes, these birds prefer building their nest lower than usual. These birds feed on nectar from around 1500 different tropical flowers in one single day. Bee Hummingbirds are extremely territorial in nature regarding the areas from which they gather nectar. Non-breeding males and females look very similar to each other. The only difference is based on the different colored spots on their tail feathers. Males have blue dots whereas females have white dots on them.

If you like this fact article on Bee Hummingbirds, don't forget to check out these other articles on shoebill and great green macaw.

What type of animal is a Bee Hummingbird?

The Bee Hummingbird is a kind of bird.

What class of animal does a Bee Hummingbird belong to?

The Bee Hummingbird belongs to the class Aves.

How many Bee Hummingbirds are there in the world?

The exact number of bee hummingbirds present in the world is not known. However, IUCN Red List states that there may be 22,000-66,000 mature individuals of this species found and their population is rapidly decreasing.

Where does a Bee Hummingbird live?

Bee Hummingbirds prefer living in places with low altitude. They are usually spotted living along the coast, suburban gardens, the edges of woodland or the interiors of a rainforest.

What is a Bee Hummingbird's habitat?

Bee Hummingbirds are native to Cuba. They live on the Caribbean islands. Since these birds aren't migratory, they are not seen exploring many places. However, a few wild ones are spotted in Jamaica and Haiti.

Who do Bee Hummingbirds live with?

Bee Hummingbirds are considered to be solitary animals. However during the breeding season, the males come together and form a group among themselves, called 'lerks'.  They showcase a group performance from which the females chooses the male of their choice.

How long does a Bee Hummingbird live?

Bee Hummingbirds are known to live longer than many birds belonging to the same species. They live for approximately seven years.

How do they reproduce?

Bee Hummingbirds mate during the dry season, which is around May and June since the availability of nectar is in the surplus amount which makes it easier for females to gather food for young ones. The males form a group called lerks and perform for the females. In this performance, they showcase different display dives in the air and also take out some high pitched sounds to attract the females. The female hummingbird then chooses the male whose performance she likes the most, thus allowing the breeding process. These birds are polyamorous in nature so males can copulate with several females during this season. The female is solely responsible for the young ones hatching from the eggs. The Bee Hummingbird nest is cup-shaped and is made of algae, tree bark and cobwebs. Females lay around two eggs at one time. These eggs are the size of peas. The Bee Hummingbird egg is white in color. The incubation period is around 21 days. They also need around two days for the eggs to hatch. The chicks stay in the nest for the next 18 days under their mother's care.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these little birds is under the Near Threatened category. The significant decrease in its population is due to factors like deforestation and climate change. It is imperative in this regard to pay special attention to the decreasing numbers of this bird and to ensure that conservation efforts are undertaken.

What do Bee Hummingbirds look like?

Breeding males look different from the female Bee Hummingbirds and the non-breeding male birds. From the head to the neck, the males have a greenish shade and the throat region has a fiery red color to it. The underparts of the bird are of the color range between grey and white. The females and the non-breeding males on the other hand look quite similar. They have bluish-green feathers on the top and a pale greyish tinge to their underside. It is quite difficult to distinguish between the two. The only difference is that the females have white spots on the tip of their tail feathers whereas the males have blue spots.

How cute are they?

These birds are extremely adorable to look at. They are the size of a honey bee and have bright green or bluish-green feathers. Bee Hummingbirds are gorgeous to look at and their colorful body sets them apart despite their incredibly small size.

How do they communicate?

Bee Hummingbirds communicate by producing high-pitched sounds while squeaking. They are also seen communicating by tweeting.

How big is a Bee Hummingbird?

Bee Hummingbirds are the world's smallest birds. They are the size of a Bumblebee. Males are generally smaller in size than the females. The Bee Hummingbird size is four times smaller than Giant Hummingbirds.

How fast can a Bee Hummingbird fly?

Bee Hummingbirds can fly at 25-30 mph (40.2-48.2 kph). They are considered to be very unique flyers. These birds from Cuba can fly forwards, backwards, straight up in the air and also upside down. They also can stand stationary in the air without moving forward or backwards. These birds flap their wings 80 times per second and during courtship routine, the male Bee Hummingbirds can flap their wings around 200 times per second.

How much does a Bee Hummingbird weigh?

The Bee Hummingbird weighs around 0.06-0.09 oz (1.9-2.6 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

These birds, native to Cuba, don't have any specific names for their male and female species.

What would you call a baby Bee Hummingbird?

A Bee Hummingbird baby can be called a nestling, hatchlings or even fledglings. It completely depends on what developmental stage the baby is at.

What do they eat?

Bee Hummingbird diet includes mainly nectar from the flowers. These flowers include the tropical flowers that grow in Cuba like Rubiaceae, Mimosaceae and many more. On rare occasions, these birds also eat insects and spiders. Bee Hummingbird also helps pollinate more than 1500 flowers while looking for nectar each day.

Are they dangerous?

Bee Hummingbirds aren't considered dangerous. Even though there are rumors of the Bee Hummingbird syrup being harmful to the bees, researchers believe it not to be true. On the contrary, these birds from Cuba and the honey bees together help to maintain the ecosystem.

Would they make a good pet?

Bee Hummingbirds aren't a feasible option for being a pet. These native birds from Cuba have incredibly small legs which don't let them hop or even run as other caged birds can. This world's smallest bird can only survive where it can fly freely.

Did you know...

Bee Hummingbirds have the second-fastest running heartbeat in the world. It measures 1200 beats per second.

The scintillating colors on the feathers of these birds and the astonishingly small size make them look like a jewel from afar.

During mating season the feathers on the head, throat and portions of the chin develops a hue of pink or red.

How do their wings work?

These birds are incredibly fast flyers and the Bee Hummingbird wingspan is 1.5 in (3 cm). They flap their wings around 80 times per second for the flying. These birds can also remain stationery in the air while flapping their wings. They also have the ability to fly straight up, down, sideways, backwards. For remaining stationary in the air, these birds flap their wings like the figure eight, which allows them to remain fixed at one place despite moving their wings.

How do they compare to other Hummingbirds?

Bee Hummingbirds are the smallest of the lot. Rufous Hummingbirds are 3.1 in (8 cm) long which makes them almost four times the size of the Bee Hummingbirds. Anna's Hummingbirds are 3.9-4.3 in (9.9-10.9 cm) long which makes them around five times the size of these Cuban little birds. Anna's Hummingbirds have iridescent crimson red, magenta and pink feathers around their neck.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including secretary bird, or tawny eagle.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Bee Hummingbird coloring pages.