Bee Hummingbird
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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Bee Hummingbird | status = Conservation status: Lower risk (nt) | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Trochiliformes | familia = Trochilidae | genus = Mellisuga | species = M. helenae | binomial = Mellisuga helenae | binomial_authority = (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 zunzún) and the Isle of Pines. Its mass is approximately 1.8 grams, which is lighter than a Canadian or U.S. penny.
Description
The male has the pileum and throat fiery red, the iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, rest of upperparts bluish, rest of underparts mostly greyish white. The female is green above, whitish below with white tios to outer tail feathers. 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 black spots.
Facts
The bee hummingbird is the world's smallest warm-blooded vertebrate. When flying, their wings beat 80 times per second, and when mating, up to 200 times per second. Their heart rate is the second fastest of all animals. They 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 Pines. Its nest is only 3 cm across.
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- [1]
- [2]
- http://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/photogallery — photographs of this and other hummingbird species
- Bee Hummingbird videos on the Internet Bird Collectionda:Bikolibri
de:Bienenelfe es:Mellisuga helenae fr:Colibri d'Hélène nl:Bijkolibrie