Bee Hummingbird
Encyclopedia
The Bee Hummingbird or Zunzuncito (Mellisuga helenae) is a species of hummingbird
that is endemic to Cuba
and Isla de la Juventud. With a mass of approximately 1.8 gram (0.0634931317892015 oz) and a length of 5 centimetres (2 in), it is the smallest living bird.
s, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the Bee Hummingbird looks rounded and chunky.
Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a reddish to pink head, chin, and throat. The female lays only two eggs at a time.
As the smallest bird in the world, it is no larger than a big insect
and, as its name suggests, is scarcely larger than a bee
. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. It also can hover over one spot like a helicopter. The bee hummingbird beats its wings an estimated 80 times per second — so fast that the wings look like a blur to human eye
s.
The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird's feather
s make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. The iridescence
is not always noticeable, but depends on the angle at which a person looks at the bird. The bird's slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flower
s. The bee hummingbird feeds mainly on nectar, and an occasional insect
or spider
, by moving its tongue rapidly in and out of its mouth. In the process of feeding, the bird picks up pollen
on its bill and head. When it flies from flower to flower, it transfers the pollen. In this way, it plays an important role in plant reproduction
. In the space of one day the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers.
Using bits of cobwebs
, bark
, and lichen
, the female bee hummingbird builds a cup-shaped nest that is only about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Nests have been built on single clothespins. She lines the nest with soft plant fibers. In this nest she lays her eggs, which are no bigger than pea
s. She alone incubates the eggs and raises the young.
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
that is endemic to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Isla de la Juventud. With a mass of approximately 1.8 gram (0.0634931317892015 oz) and a length of 5 centimetres (2 in), it is the smallest living bird.
Description
The male has the green pileum and fiery red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumePlume
Plume may refer to:In science:* Plume , the form of effluent in water or emissions in air* Eruption column, or volcanic plume, a column of hot volcanic ash and gas emitted into the atmosphere during an explosive volcanic eruption...
s, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the Bee Hummingbird looks rounded and chunky.
Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a reddish to pink head, chin, and throat. The female lays only two eggs at a time.
As the smallest bird in the world, it is no larger than a big insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
and, as its name suggests, is scarcely larger than a bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. It also can hover over one spot like a helicopter. The bee hummingbird beats its wings an estimated 80 times per second — so fast that the wings look like a blur to human eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
s.
The brilliant, iridescent colors of the bee hummingbird's feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s make the bird seem like a tiny jewel. The iridescence
Iridescence
Iridescence is generally known as the property of certain surfaces which appear to change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes...
is not always noticeable, but depends on the angle at which a person looks at the bird. The bird's slender, pointed bill is adapted for probing deep into flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s. The bee hummingbird feeds mainly on nectar, and an occasional insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
or spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
, by moving its tongue rapidly in and out of its mouth. In the process of feeding, the bird picks up pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
on its bill and head. When it flies from flower to flower, it transfers the pollen. In this way, it plays an important role in plant reproduction
Plant reproduction
Plant reproduction is the production of new individuals or offspring in plants, which can be accomplished by sexual or asexual means. Sexual reproduction produces offspring by the fusion of gametes, resulting in offspring genetically different from the parent or parents...
. In the space of one day the bee hummingbird may visit 1,500 flowers.
Using bits of cobwebs
Spider web
A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web or cobweb is a device built by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets....
, bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
, and lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
, the female bee hummingbird builds a cup-shaped nest that is only about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Nests have been built on single clothespins. She lines the nest with soft plant fibers. In this nest she lays her eggs, which are no bigger than pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
s. She alone incubates the eggs and raises the young.
External links
- Bee Hummingbird videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Bee Hummingbird Video from birdingcuba.com
- Bee Hummingbird photo gallery VIREO
- Article with synopsis (with photos); Photo
