World's Smallest Bird World's Smallest Bird Mar 26, 2008 14:26 GMT · By Stefan Anitei · Share: Have you ever wondered which is the world's smallest feathered creature? It is, of course, a species of hummingbird. The Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) inhabits Cuba (where people call it zunzuncito) and the Isle of Youth. The bird weighs 1.8 grams, having a length of about 5 cm (2 in). An unaware observer can take this bird for an insect. The bird flies with 80 wing beats per second, a rhythm at which the human retina cannot detect naturally details. During the courtship displays, the male flap his wings up to 200 times per second! Only high speed cameras can take pictures of this bird. And, in fact, the male Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird, as he is smaller than the female. This bird has also the smallest number of feathers: about 1,000 feathers (in other bird species, there are up to 25,000 feathers).

Its heart rate is the second fastest of all animals, to sustain the high metabolism (explaining its wing rhythm and body temperature). The body temperature is 40?C (104?F), the highest of all birds, but it drops during the night to 19?C (66?F) to save energy (as the bird would lose too much heat because of its small size). Bee hummingbirds eat half their total body mass and drink 8 times their total body mass in water each day. These birds are solitary, accepting each other's company only during the breeding period; in the rest of the time, they are fiercely territorial, defending their territories (represented by blossom trees) very aggressively even against much larger birds. The nest is attached to small branches using spider web threads. The nest is also world's smallest, no larger than the cup of a doll (3 cm or 1.2 inch in diameter). The nest usually hosts two minute eggs, smaller than two coffee beans. The chicks usually hatch in May-June. The appetite of this bird is the opposite of its size. This hummingbird consumes small spiders and mites, but especially the sweet nectar of the tropical vividly colored flower.

Its high metabolism means this bird consumes half of its body mass and drink 8 times their body mass in water daily. This bird is crucial in ensuring the pollination and survival of several plant species. Once this bird was relatively common, but even if today it is protected, its numbers are dwindling. Amongst mammals (the only other warm-blooded group of vertebrates, besides birds) only the Etruscan shrew and the bumblebee bat compete with this species in size. Absurd Creature of the Week: The World’s Tiniest Bird Weighs Less Than a Dime | WIRED Time of Publication: 7:00 am. 7:00 am Absurd Creature of the Week: The World’s Tiniest Bird Weighs Less Than a Dime This is how a male bee hummingbird looks at you when you ask it, "Why the long face?" Kevin Elsby/Alamy There’s a lot to be jazzed about in the rekindling of relations between the US and Cuba. It seems like a pretty nice island, after all.

As travel restrictions lift, American beach types will get nice beaches, cigar types get nice cigars, and people who like both will get the opportunity to piss off fellow beachgoers. Almost everyone wins! Especially fans of biodiversity, for Cuba is an absolute gem, a place where conservation—not to mention the lack of ecosystem-ravaging capitalism—has preserved all manner of majestic creatures to gawk at. More Absurd Creatures And browse the full archive here. Among these island wonders is the smallest bird in the world: the bee hummingbird. It weighs a mere 1/15 of an ounce— less than a dime —and builds nests the size of a quarter (sorry, all this talk of capitalism is getting to me). It hunts mosquitoes like a hawk would hunt a pigeon. And its eggs? They’re the size of coffee beans. The bee hummingbird is so tiny, it actually competes with insects for resources, as opposed to other birds. Oh, and it’s somewhat hyperactive, beating its wings up to 200 times per second. Hummingbirds in general aren’t exactly known for their towering stature, but the shrinkage of the bee hummingbird is stunning. So why has this species gotten so much smaller than its peers?

“You have in all communities on the Caribbean islands always two or three hummingbirds,” says ecologist Bo Dalsgaard of the University of Copenhagen. “If you go to the lowlands, there will be two hummingbirds, and if you go to the highlands there will be two hummingbirds. Always you find one large and one small hummingbird.” Here’s a mosquito for scale. No, not that—that’s a bee hummingbird. The other thing. James W. Wiley The bee hummingbird’s larger counterpart in Cuba is the emerald hummingbird, which grows to more than twice its size (though it’s still quite small for a “large” hummingbird). Dalsgaard reckons the emerald got to the island first and set up shop, assuming the typical hummingbird niche of a nectar-feeding pollinator. “Later, the ancestor of the bee hummingbird arrived on Cuba and took up the role as the smaller of the two hummingbirds,” says Dalsgaard.

“To avoid feeding competition with the Cuban emerald, it had to evolve to be an even smaller hummingbird, competing more with insects for nectar.” So it shrank and shrank and shrank over evolutionary time to avoid running out of grub, targeting smaller flowers that the emerald hummingbird wouldn’t waste energy visiting. Even better, it’s never had much competition from insects, since pollinating bugs have a tough time traveling over water to colonize new island environments. The insect biodiversity just ain’t like it is on the mainland. Yet the bee hummingbird is not alone in its teeniness. In fact, insular dwarfism, as it’s known, is pretty common. Over on Barbados, for instance, there’s an adorable snake that’s so small it can curl up on a quarter (sorry again), and its evolutionary story is much the same as the hummingbird’s. When the so-called threadsnake arrived on Barbados, it likely found an open niche that would typically go to something like a centipede. And perhaps the snake’s typical prey on the mainland never made it to the island.

So like the bee hummingbird shrank down to exploit smaller flowers, the snake shrank down to exploit the larvae and eggs of social insects like ants and termites. Sleeping Beauties Dwarfism happens time and time again on islands, but being so tiny comes at a price, especially for a hummingbird, which already has quite the appetite to fuel its child-on-Red-Bull lifestyle. “It costs a lot of energy to be a small organism, because the metabolic rate and heat loss is relatively larger,” says Dalsgaard. “Hummingbirds must therefore feed very frequently, or go into torpor, a form of deep sleep, to save energy.” Bee hummingbird moms only raise two chicks, feeding them nectar, mosquitoes, and the occasional hint that it’s time to get off her back and go get a job already. James W. Wiley While there haven’t been any good studies on bee hummingbird torpor, this trick is consistent across hummingbird species, so scientists can infer how it works in this little marvel.

The bee hummingbird is likely liberal with its use of torpor given that hummingbirds burn a whole lot of energy to begin with, and this is the smallest and most energy-starved among them: Remember that it can beat its wings 200 times per second. So like a functioning narcoleptic, the bee hummingbird is probably slipping into torpor whenever it gets the chance. “For instance, at night when they cannot feed, they would need to consume substantial amounts of energy to keep their body temperature,” says ecologist Ana Martín González at the Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab. There are even “records of hummingbirds in torpor during heavy rains, when they cannot feed (they do feed during light rain) and they are not likely to get preyed upon.” On top of all that, the bee hummingbird has to worry about finding someone for sexy time at some point. When the mating season rolls around, the males’ plumage transforms from a beautiful bluish-green into an even more beautiful sort of red-pink helmet … veil … thing, shown at the top of this story. They form groups known as leks and sing their hearts out, with the females sometimes choosing several males to mate with.

When she lays two coffee-bean-sized eggs in her nest, she doesn’t want the father(s) anywhere near them, for the males’ shiny new outfits are wildly obvious to predators. And she herself is quite cautious around the eggs. “She doesn’t fly straight into the nest,” says González. “She perches close to it, then waits there for some time, until nothing is around and then goes to the nest.” The eggs hatch after about three weeks, and she feeds the chicks for three more weeks on nectar, supplemented with mosquitoes. And then they’re off into the world. Compared to the males, bee hummingbird females are positively drab. This is how one looks at you when you call her “positively drab.” James W. Wiley All in all, the bee hummingbird isn’t doing too bad in Cuba. Some areas are heavily farmed with a single crop, meaning the hummingbirds may not always have access to the right materials to build their nests. But other parts of the island are more or less pristine: While there’s no specific program in place to conserve the bee hummingbird, it benefits from Cuba’s conservation efforts at large. Let’s hope that lasts.

With all this talk of lifting the embargo on Cuba, American corporations are foaming at the mouth to invade (“I can’t stop thinking about it,” one particularly tactless exec told The New York Times last week ). And where corporations go, the environment suffers. Add to that the inevitable boom in tourism, and you’ve got a Cuba that may be more prosperous, but an ecosystem that may face peril. So here’s to the continued survival of the world’s smallest bird. Good luck with all that capitalism, little buddy. Browse the full Absurd Creature of the Week archive here . Know of an animal you want me to write about? Are you a scientist studying a bizarre creature? Email matthew_simon@wired.com or ping me on Twitter at @mrMattSimon . Bee hummingbird videos, photos and facts - Mellisuga helenae | ARKive Top Bee hummingbird biology Despite its tiny size, the bee hummingbird is capable of beating its wings around 80 times a second in a figure-of-eight pattern, giving it the ability to hover and move with astonishing agility. During its intricate courtship display, the number of wing beats can increase to an almost unbelievable 200 times a second (4) (6) .

The breeding season is typically between March and June, and the female bee hummingbird constructs a tiny cup-shaped nest out of thin twigs, held together by cobwebs and lichens . The female then lays a clutch of 2 tiny eggs, no bigger than 6 millimetres in length, which are incubated for around 22 days. The new chicks are fed and cared for solely by the female, until leaving the nest after 18 days (2) (7) . The bee hummingbird preferentially feeds on nectar, which it obtains from a wide variety of plant species by inserting its bill into the flower of the plant while hovering horizontally above it. It will also eat small insects (2) (4) . Because the bee hummingbird is so small, it must consume a large amount to meet its very high energetic demands, typically ingesting up to half its body mass in food each day, and up to eight times its body mass in water (6) . Top Bee hummingbird range Endemic to Cuba, the bee hummingbird has a patchy distribution across the mainland and on the neighbouring Isla de la Juventud (1) (5) .

Top Bee hummingbird status The bee hummingbird is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix II of CITES (3) . Top Bee hummingbird threats The population of the bee hummingbird is declining throughout its range and, although once a widespread and common species, it has now become rare and localised, with an extremely patchy distribution. The primary threat is habitat loss, mainly due to the destruction and fragmentation of native vegetation to give way for agriculture, and the continued expansion of the cacao, coffee and tobacco industries (2) (5) . In the Zapata swamp (an area which is known to support a population of the bee hummingbird), introduced predators such as the mongoose and the rat may also negatively affect the remaining birds (8) . Top Bee hummingbird conservation The bee hummingbird is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that trade in this species should be carefully regulated (1) (2) (5) .

BirdLife International have proposed several measures to safeguard the remaining populations of the bee hummingbird, including careful monitoring of key populations, enhancing protection of the species within existing protected areas and discouraging clearance of forests for agriculture. They also wish to use the bee hummingbird as a ‘flagship species’, to help highlight the plight of the many species that face declining populations due to habitat loss and destruction (5) . Smallest Bird, Largest Bird, Fastest Bird, Slowest Bird | Birds of a Feather B&B Birds of a Feather B&B We had a wonderful time! The dogs were great. We will certainly come again! - Kim & John Beautiful... great experience and hospitality ! - Karen 'Thank you for the nice stay. We enjoyed our short trip to Vancouver Island and now know a fine place to stay for our next trip to... - Andrea & Sven Thanks so much, your B&B was much more than advertized. We chose the right place for our last night in B.C. The 5km run to Royal... - Sarah My recent stay at Birds of a Feather was a great experience. As a new student to Royal Roads University I found the location to the... - Dianne Appleby We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Everything from the views, our room, the comfort, the company, and Dieter's generous hospitality was... - Sonia We had an amazing time here on the island for our honeymoon! This room was perfect! It was our first experience at a B&B, and... - Ryan & Christine Holst This place is magical!! I loved eveything from the wildlife and the scenery to the full moon that took my breath away!! Thank you... - Diane Todosychuk Lovely place to stay! Dieter gave us the best advice about how to spend our limited time here. We are in awe of the beauty of the... - Patricia Bender & Judy Kelly Thank you for welcoming us into your home, everything absolutely perfect - not often I am left speecless but.... WOW! We have found... - Helena & Ray Farmer Smallest Bird, Largest Bird, Fastest Bird, Slowest Bird Best Price Guarantee Smallest Bird Male bee hummingbirds (mellisuga helenae), which live in Cuba, weigh 0.056 ounces and are 2.75 inches in length. The bill and tail account for half of this length.

Smallest Bird of Prey The black-legged falconet ( Micrphierax fringlius ) of southeast Asia and the white-fronted or Bornean falconet ( M. latifrons ) of northwestern Borneo both have an average length of 5.5-6 inches, including a 2 inch tail, and weigh approximately 1.25 ounces. Smallest Parrot [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] The Pygmy parrots of Papua and nearby islands. Genus Micropsitta. There's six different sorts - Yellow-capped, Buff-faced, Finsch's, Geelvink, Meek's, Red-breasted - all around 3" long (8cm). Thought to eat lichens and mosses but not much is known about their lifestyles. Fastest Swimming Bird Gentoo Penguin found on the Antarctic Islands can swim 40 km per hour. Large populations are found at South Georgia, Falkland Islands, and Iles Kerguelen although their breeding distribution is circumpolar. An orange bill and a white stroke behind its eye distinguish the black and white gentoos from the smaller adelie and chinstrap species.

Long stiff tail feathers stick out behind as they walk, often cocked up in the water, no other penguin has such a prominent tail. They breed in winter at the more northerly sub-Antarctic islands, laying two eggs as early as July. Can dive over 300' though most prey dives are shallower. Most dives last only half a minute. Largest Carnivorous Bird (contribution by Christoph Kulmann) Titanis Walleri. This bird is known from the early Pleistocene (Ice Age) of Florida. It is the last known member of the family Phorusrhacidae, a group of large, flightless birds which evolved in South America. This creature had an estimated body height of 3 meters (if it stood fully erect, and 2.5 meters in more normal situations). Titanis really had arms instead of wings. Tallest Flying Birdscrane The largest cranes (family Gruidae) can be almost 6 ft. 6 in. tall.

Heaviest Flying Birds The Kori Bustard or paauw (Ardeotis Kori) of northeast and southern Africa and the great bustard (Otis tarda) of Europe and Asia weigh about 40-42 pounds. There is a report of a 46 lb. 4 oz. male great bustard shot in northeastern China. It was too heavy to fly. Heaviest Birds of Prey Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) are the heaviest species of bird of prey. Males weigh 20-27 pounds and have a wingspan of at least 10 feet. A male California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) preserved in the California Academy of Sciences is reported to weigh 31 pounds. It is rare for the species to exceed 23 pounds in weight. Heaviest Parrot Flightless Kakapo around 7lbs in weight; New Zealand [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] SinbadA flightless nocturnal bird, which was described by early European settlers as " the most wonderful bird on Earth, " the Kakapo parrot was once endemic throughout New Zealand.

Today only 50 birds remain, some of which live on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) as part of a Department of Conservation endangered species recovery programme. The name "Kakapo" is Polynesian (Maori) for "parrot of the night." Moss green, like Kakapo "Suzanne's" foster brood, Codfish Island, 2002. Photo by Don Merton/DOC.the foliage of the native trees and grasses in which it evolved, funny and cuddly, with a wonderful spicy fragrance, this unique bird has small wings, useless for flight but handy to steer with when you're jumping down a bank, and a rudimentary keel in its sternum. It browses forest trees, ferns, herbs, moss and lichen and grinds its food between a powerful lower mandible and a grooved pad in the upper mandible, a method of mastication which is thought to be unique. Longest Feathers The phoenix fowl or Yokohama chicken (a strain of the red junglefowl Gallus is bred in Japan for ornamental purposes. A rooster with a 34 ft. 9.5 in.

Tail covert was reported in 1972. Longest Bills The bill of the Australian pelican (Pelicanus conspicillatus) is 13-18.5 inches long. The longest beak in relation to body length is that of the sword- billed hummingbird ( Ensifera ) of the Andes. At 4 inches, the beak is longer than the bird’s body (excluding the tail). Only Nostrils on tip of Beak The Kiwi is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of its beak. Whereas other birds hunt by sight or by hearing, the national bird of New Zealand uses its beaky nostrils to sniff out food at night. Although the Kiwi is roughly the same size as a chicken, it lays an egg which is 10 times larger than a hen's. It also has wings but cannot fly. Biggest Eyes The ostrich has the largest eyes of any land animal. Each eye can be up to 2 inches in diameter.

Largest Field of Vision The eyes of the woodcock are set so far back in its head that it has a 360 degree field of vision, enabling it see all round and even over the top of its head Best Talker The African Grey Parrot has been called "the perfect mix of brains and beauty" (Bird Talk, Aug. 92) and the "cadillac of parrots" (Bird Talk Sept. 93). Much of the notoriety of this species stems from the phenomenal gift of speech members exhibit. While many parrots learn some words or phrases, many cases have been documented of African Greys learning multiple lines of songs, prayers, or plays. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the best talking parrot or parrot like bird as a African Grey named Prudle. Prudle was captured near Jinja, Uganda in 1958 and when "he" retired from public life in 1977 had a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words. Many owners have been surprised (and sometimes shocked) when their Grey learned a new word or phrase after hearing it only a few times. One of our favorite stories in this respect was one related by a priest that had a pet Grey.

While hanging some pictures in his office, the priest hit his hand with a hammer. He let out a stream of obscenities that his Grey learned (from this one occurrence according to the priest). The priest's embarrassment was compounded by the other aspect of greys gift for mimicking, that is they often sound exactly like the person that spoke the words or phrase. [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] Most Airborne Bird The sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) leaves its nesting grounds as a youngster and remains aloft for 3-10 years, settling on water from time to time. It returns to land to breed as an adult. Longest Flight A common tern (Sterna hirundo) that was banded in June 1996 in Finland was recaptured alive 16,250 miles away at Rotamah Island, Victoria, Australia in January 1997. It had traveled at a rate of 125 miles a day. Slowest-Flying Birds The American woodcock (Scolopax minor) and the Eurasian woodcock (S.

Rusticola) have both been timed lying at 5 mph with out stalling during courtship displays. Slowest Wing beat The slowest wing beats recorded during true level flight averaged one per second. They were by several species of the New World vulture ( family Cathartidea) Largest Wingspan The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) has the largest wingspan of any living bird. As a result, it is an expert glider and it is capable of remaining in the air without beating its wings for several hours at a time. The largest known specimen was an extremely old male with and 11 ft. 11 in. wingspan. It was caught in the Tasman Sea in September 1965. It has also been known to sleep while it flies! Largest Ever Wingspan The South American teratoron ( Argentavis magnificens), which existed 6-8 million years ago, had an estimated wingspan of 25 feet.

Parrot with largest Wingspan Hyacinth Macaw, around 1100 mm - Brazil [contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] The Hyacinth macaw is the most majestic of all parrots. Although the Hyacinth Macaw and Green Wing Macaw are both commonly referred to as the "gentle giant" of the macaw species. The Hyacinths are truly the "dream bird" of all bird lovers. The Hyacinth macaw can attain the total length of up to 42 inches and have a beak pressure that can easily disassemble a welded wrought iron cage bar by bar in a very short time. In spite of their tremendous strength, this is one of the most laid back and easy-going of all of the macaws. Fastest Flying Bird The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the fastest living creature, reaching speeds of at least 124 mph and possibly as much as 168 mph when swooping from great heights during territorial displays or while catching pry birds in midair.

Fastest Wing beat The horned sungem (Heliactin cornuta), a hummingbird from South America, beats its wings up and down 90 times a second. Flying Backwards While hummingbirds are probably the champions of backwards flight they are by no means the only birds that can fly in this way. When two herons or egrets fight, periodically one of them caught at a disadvantage in the dispute will flutter backward. Occasionally warblers fluttering at the tip of a branch as they pick off insects will flutter backward when they overshoot some flying insect. It is probable that any bird which uses fluttering flight can move backward when pressed to do so. Fastest Land Bird Despite its bulk, the ostrich can run at speeds of up to 45 mph if necessary. Highest-Flying Birds A Ruppell’s vulture (gyps rueppellii) collided with a commercial aircraft over Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at an altitude of 37,000 feet in November 1973. The impact damaged one of the aircraft’s engines, but the plane landed safely. The species is rarely seen above 20,000 feet.

In 1967, about 30 whooper swans (Cygnus were spotted at an altitude of just over 27,000 feet by an airline pilot over the Western Isles, UK. They were flying from Iceland to Loch Foyle on the Northern Ireland/republic Ireland border. Their altitude was confirmed by air traffic control. Longest Stride The stride of an ostrich may exceed 23 feet in length when the bird is sprinting. Highest G-Force Borne The beak of the red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) hits the bark of a tree with an impact of velocity of 13 mph, subjection the bird’s brain to a deceleration of approximately 10 g when its head snaps back. Other woodpeckers may experience and even higher g-force. Most Food Consumed Hummingbirds (family Trochilidon) requires at least half their own body weight in food (mainly nectar and tiny insects) every single day. With the possible exception of shrews, they have the highest metabolic rate of any known animal.

Strangest Diet An ostrich living at the London Zoo, England was found to have swallowed an alarm clock, a roll of film, a handkerchief, a 3-foot long piece of rope, a cycle valve , a pencil, three gloves, a collar stud, a Belgian franc, four halfpennies and two farthings. Longest Fast The male emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) spends several months without feeding on the frozen wastes of the Antarctic sea ice. It travels overland from the sea to the breeding colony, courts the female, incubates the egg for 62-67 days, waits for the female to return and travels back to the open sea, going without food for up to 134 days. Largest Prey The wild animal known to have been killed and carried away by a bird was a 15 pound male red howler monkey killed by a harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) in Manu National Park, Peru in 1990. The harpy eagle is considered the world’s most powerful bird of prey, although it weighs only 20 pounds.

An incredible video of a Golden Eagle taking a small Mountain sheep or goat and carrying it off to it's nest. The largest documented prey taken by a Philippine eagle is a 14 kg (30.8 lbs) Philippine deer Cervus at a nest studied by Kennedy in 1985. also on records; a mature female monkey taken and carrying it in one foot in Cagayan; and a large python. The African crowned eagle is Africa's most powerful and ferocious eagle in terms of the weight and nature of prey taken. Mammalian prey, especially duikers, may weigh up to 34 kg (75 lbs) and still be preyed on by these eagles. Sharpest Vision The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is believed to be able to spot a pigeon from a distance of more than 5 miles under ideal conditions. Biggest Nest The incubation mounds built by the mallee fowl (Leipoa ocellata) of Australia are up to 15 feet tall and 35 feet wide. A nest site is estimated to weigh 330 tons. A 9 ft. 6 in.

Wide 20 foot deep nest was built by a pair of bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and possibly by their successors, close to St Petersburg, Florida. When examined in 1963, the nest was estimated to weigh in excess of 2.2 tons. Smallest Nests The vervian hummingbird ( Mellisuga minima) builds a nest about half the size of a walnut shell. The deeper but narrower nest of the bee hummingbird (M. Helenae) is thimble sized. Smallest Egg The smallest known bird’s egg were tow vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) eggs less than 39/100 inch long. They weighed 0.365 g.

(0.0128 oz.) And 0.375 g (0.0132 oz.) Biggest Eggs (contribution by Christoph Kulmann) The extinct giant elephant bird (Aephornis maximus) - picture below under heaviest birds - laid 1 foot long eggs with a lElephant Bird egg compared to chicken eggliquid capacity of 2.25 gallons- the equivalent of seven ostrich eggs and more than 12,000 humming bird eggs. When early Arabian and Indian explorers started returning from their journeys along the coast of Africa with stories of gigantic birds many times the size of a man, they brought evidence...huge eggs, up to three feet in circumference. They were the eggs of a bird that would later come to be known as the Elephant Bird, or Vouron Patra (Aepyornis maximus). The eggs that the Elephant Bird laid were larger than the largest dinosaur eggs, and, in fact, they were as large as a structurally functional egg could possibly be...the largest single cells to have ever existed on Earth. The ostrich egg is 6-8 inches long. 4-6 inches in diameter and weighs 2 lb. 3 oz.

- 3 lb.14 oz.. It is equal in volume to 24 chicken eggs. The shell is 3/50 inch thick but can support eh weight of an adult human. The largest on record was laid in 1988 by a two year old northern/southern hybrid (Struthio c. camelus x s. c. australis) at the Kibbutz Ha’on collective farm, Israel. Ti weighted 5 lb. 2 oz. Heaviest Bird Ever Alive - 2 candidates (contribution by Christoph Kulmann) Elephant BirdThe Elephant Bird (shown above under biggest eggs) is thought to have been the inspiration for the Roc (or Ruhk) made famous in the stories of Sinbad and the accounts of Marco Polo. While Aepyornis was by no means as large and terrible as the elephant-eating Roc, it WAS one of the largest birds that ever lived. The flightless bird grew to around ten or eleven feet tall, and is estimated to have weighed up to 1100 pounds. By comparison, a BIG Ostrich will go eight feet and 300 pounds.

The home of the Elephant Bird was the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa. The island was first populated by African and Indonesian peoples that are thought to have arrived around the time of Christ, about 2000 years ago. They were, in turn, visited by Muslim traders from East Africa and the Comoro Islands in the ninth century. The first Europeans to visit the island were the Portuguese in 1500, but Europeans didn't really establish a foothold on the island until the French settled there beginning in 1642. The Elephant Bird was probably still around at that time but it had already become very rare. One of the only contemporary European accounts of the bird was written by the first French Governor of Madagascar, Étienne de Flacourt, who wrote, in 1658, "vouropatra - a large bird which haunts the Ampatres and lays eggs like the ostriches; so that the people of these places may not take it, it seeks the most lonely places." The natives' histories of the Elephant Bird, however, rarely describe it as an aggressive bird, and more often portray it as a shy, peaceful giant.

Most likely the Vouron Patra was driven to extinction by people raiding their nests. The eggs and egg shells were both very important items to the tribal Malagasy, who used them for food and all kinds of stuff. The fossil record shows that maximus was not the only species of Aepyornis that ever lived. It is thought that between three and seven different types of Elephant Bird have lived since the Pleistocene although only one, the smaller Aepyornis mullerornis is thought to have survived into historic times along with the Elephant Bird. Only the giant is known to have co-existed with humans, and by 1700, it too was gone. Only the largest of the New Zealand Moas were taller, some reaching thirteen feet, but they weren't as massively built. Moa were large flightless birds that went extinct in the late 1700's or early 1800's. These huge, bulky birds lived in lowland forests on the islands of New Zealand. The word moa comes from the Maori language, in which the plural of moa is moa (we are using that convention).

The oldest-known moa fossils date from 2.4 million years ago. The last of the moa (the smaller species) lived on the South Island of New Zealand until the 1700's. On its native New Zealand, there were no large mammals to prey on the moa or its eggs; its only predators large birds, like the Haast eagle (which is now extinct). When the Maori people moved to New Zealand over 1,000 years ago, they destroyed much of the moa's lowland forest habitat and introduced mammals, including dogs and rats. These mammals ate the moa's eggs. The Maori people also hunted and ate the moa. These forces probably contributed to the extinction of the moa. The moa had a large body, a small head, a long neck, short, thick legs, and a large beak. There were 11 species of moa. The largest was almost 11.5 feet (3.5 m) tall and weighed perhaps 700 pounds (320 kg); the smallest of the moa were turkey-sized. The moa's nest was located on the ground (leaving the eggs vulnerable to predators).

The moa was an herbivore (plant-eater); it ate fruit and some plant material (like leaves). These birds swallowed stones (which went into gizzard) that helped digest the food. Classification: Kingdom Animalia (animals), phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata (vertebrates), class Aves (birds), order Dinornithiformes, family Anomalopterygidae (the lesser moa) and family Dinornithidae (the greater moa). There were 11 (or possibly 13) different species of moa, including Dinornis, the biggest moa and the biggest bird that ever lived. In ancient Australia, until 50,000 years ago, there was a group of birds called the Dromornithids. By far the largest of them was "Dromornis stirtoni", a massive creature that stood 3 meters tall and must have weighed more than half a ton. They disappeared rather abruptly, and there is still much debate about the reasons. But the Australians seem to have kept a memory of these giant birds.

In some legends, there is a creature called "mihirung", and most likely this means a dromornithid bird. Smelliest Bird The south American hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) has an odor similar to cow manure. Colombians call it pava hedionda ("stinking pheasant"). The cause of the smell is believed to be a combination of its diet of green leaves and its specialized digestive system, which involves a kind of foregut fermentation. Large Flocks Flamingoes, with their long necks and legs, have a height range of 3-5 feet and are the biggest bird to form large flocks. Of the four species, the lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) of eastern and southern Africa has been seen in flocks of several million birds, particularly in the Great Lakes of eastern Africa. Biggest Bird The largest and strongest living bird is the North African ostrich (Struthio camelus . Males can be up to 9 feet tall and weigh 345 pounds, and when fully grown the have one of the most advanced immune systems of any animal.

South Africa was the first country to see the commercial potential of ostrich products - the creature are prized not only for their large soft white feathers and their meat but also for their skins, which are made into the strongest commercially available leather in the world. Ostrich farming is believed to have begun in the Karoo and Eastern Cape c. 1863. By 1910 there were more than 20,000 domesticated ostriches in the country, and by 1913 ostrich feathers were the fourth most important south African export product. Demand began to dry up soon afterwards, but there was an ostrich revival in the 1920's when farmers started to produce biltong ( dry strips of ostrich meat) commercially. Biggest Seabird (contribution by Jacob Casson) The Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora sanfordi) with a wing span 3 metres, flight speed up to 115 km/h. 80% of life spent at sea. White body, black on backs of wings. Feeds on surface shoaling fish and squid. Male and female equal share in rearing chick, raising one chick every two years.

Mature at six years, live about 45 years. Mate in October, one egg laid in November, incubation 79 days. Chick guarded for first six weeks, young depart late September. Biggest Cockatoo Sub-species Proboscigar Aterimus Goliath. The weight of the female Palm Cockatoo is between 500-950 grams, and the males weigh between 540-1100 grams. Both females and males height range from 49-68 centimeters. The wings are about 35.1 centimeters, the tail about 23.8 centimeters, the bill about 9.1 centimeters, and the tarsus about 3.5 centimeters. These Palm Cockatoos are very large birds. They are the largest of all parrots. The scientific name is derived from both Greek and Latin. Proboscis is Greek for nose, gero is Greek for carry, and atterimus is Latin for black. Most Palm Cockatoos are dark gray and black with a cheek-patch of bare red skin .

The cheek skin color may change according to their level of stress, it may change pink or beige if it is stressed, or if it is excited it will turn yellow. Palm Cockatoos have a very strong mandible, which they use for cracking nuts. Most Abundant Bird The red- billed quelea (Quelea quelea) of Africa has an estimated adult breeding population of 1.5 billion. The slaughter of at least 200 million of them each year has no impact on this number. Rarest Bird With 168 birds on the list of the world's most critically endangered creatures--and many of them from remote, inhospitable places--researchers cannot say for sure which species is the rarest. But that dubious distinction may belong to the po'ouli (pronounced "poh-oh-U-lee"). This Hawaiian honeycreeper, whose name means "black-faced," survives only in a few hundred acres of nearly impenetrable rain forest on the windward side of Maui's Haleakala Crater. At last count, the known po'ouli population was six. And with time running out, experts are scrambling to find a way to save the species from extinction.

Rarest Parrot Spix's Macaw. Endemic to one small area of northeastern Brazil, in a habitat known as the "caatinga" (an arid region of flat savanna scrubland interspersed with seasonal creeks and gallery forests), the Spix's Macaw was considered to be extinct in the wild 10 years ago. Despite concerted efforts of the Brazilian government and an international committee whose members include the aviculturists that hold this endangered species, government officials, conservationists and ornithologists the last one died in 2001. The conservation of this species is now dependent on the success of the captive-breeding and field program. The global captive population has grown significantly from a low of 11 known birds to 60 (54 of which are captive-hatched); new holders are participating in the program, the field research program has collected valuable data on the natural history of this species and the ecology of the region, a strong community outreach program is in place, habitat protection and restoration projects are ongoing, and basic research on psittacine reintroduction techniques has been successfully completed.

[contributed by Harold Armitage, Wild Macaws Wild Macaws] Bossiest Bird The kea ( Nestor notabilis) from New Zealand is the only bird known to have a society in which the higher status individuals force others to work for them. Most Unusual Birds The home of the Great Indian Hornbill is a prison. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she hides in a hole in a tree. The male then seals up the hole, leaving her just a narrow slit through which he passes her food. The female stays in there until the chicks are a few months old, when she breaks out and helps the male with feeding duties. The Secretary Bird may have long legs but it can't run. Instead it hops along the African scrublandin search of its staple diet of snakes and lizards. The bird gets its name from the 20 black crest feathers behind its ears which are reminiscent of the old quill pens once favored by secretaries. The Quetzal from central America has such a long tail (up to 3 feet) that it can't take off from a branch in the normal way without ripping its tail to shreds.

So instead it launches itself backwards into space like a parachutist leaving an aircraft. The Quetzal nests in hollow trees but has to reverse into the hole. Once inside, it curls up its tail over its head and out of the hole. The Male Bower-Bird from Australia attracts a female by building an elaborate love bower. After building a little hut out of twigs, he decorates it with flowers and colorful objects such as feathers, fruit, shells, and pebbles or sometimes glass and paper if the nest is near civilization. One particular species (the Atlas Bower-Bird) actually paints the walls by dipping bark or leaves into the blue or dark-green saliva he secretes. The entire bower-building procedure can take months and the bird will often change the decorations until he is happy with them. When finally satisfied, he performs a love dance outside the bower, sometimes offering the female a pretty item from his collection. The Young Hoatzin of the Amazon forests has claws on its wings to help it clamber through the dense undergrowth. The bird is a throwback to the prehistoric archeopteryx, which also had three claws on each wing.

The Little Tailorbird uses its sharp beak to pierce holes along the edges of two leaves. It then constructs a nest by neatly stitching the leaves together with pieces of grass. What advantage do many birds gain by flying in V-formation? As a bird flap its wings it disturbs the air and leaves whirling eddies behind. Some gregarious species take advantage of the upward sections of these whirls and each bird in the V-formation stations itself at the correct place so the inner wing obtains support from the wake of the bird immediately ahead. Thus every bird in the flock except the leader saves energy by using the V-formation type of flight. Images: Beautiful Hummingbirds of the World Images: Beautiful Hummingbirds of the World By Laura Poppick, Live Science Contributor | April 3, 2014 12:01pm ET MORE Rufous humminbird (Selasphorus rufus) Credit: Dean E. Briggins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rufous hummingbirds generally inhabit the west coast of North America. A total of 338 species of hummingbird are known to live on the planet, making hummingbirds one of the most diverse groups of birds.

Researchers recently created the first comprehensive evolutionary tree of hummingbirds, and found that they have diversified quite rapidly over the past 22 million years, and continue to diversify today. Rufous hummingbird A Rufous hummingbird and a bumblebee fly toward Crocosmia flowers. Hummingbird beaks have evolved to fit in certain types of flowers. Anna's hummingbird Credit: Chris Clark, Yale University The Anna's hummingbird is native to the west coast of North America. Broad-tailed hummingbird Broad-tailed hummingbirds inhabit regions of the western United States as well as Central America. Volcano Hummingbird Credit: Anand Varma This is a volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) photographed on Cerro de la Muerte in Costa Rica. This species of Bee hummingbird uses its modified tail feathers to produce sound during its aerial courtship displays. Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird Scientists have caught a rare glimpse of a male Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird twirling its spoon-shaped tail in a courtship display. Female white-necked jacobin hummingbird White-necked jacobins are native to Central and South America.

Booted racket-tail hummingbird Booted racket-tails live in the Andes Mountains, as well as in Venezuela. Chestnut-breasted coronet hummingbird Chestnut-breasted Coronets live in the Andes. Purple-throated woodstar hummingbird ODFW, Oregon Wildlife Species: Hummingbirds Oregon Wildlife Species Birds: Hummingbirds Bird Species of Oregon: In addition to native bird species, introduced species, accidentals and birds that are currently expanding their ranges have been included here. Only one photo is shown for each species—as plumages vary between males and females, between young and adults, between seasons, see All About Birds for precise bird identification. -Wikipedia- Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri Noteworthy as a generalist, the Black-chinned Hummingbird appears in a wide variety of habitats, including lush river bottoms, urban settings and desert canyons. Below the male's velvety black gorget is an iridescent purple band that can also look black in poor light. At rest, the wingtips are relatively broad and curved, unlike any other North American hummingbird.

A rare to locally common resident east of the Cascades, it is least common in Klamath and Lake counties. Summer habitat in eastern Oregon includes canyons, juniper woodlands, and desert riparian zones. In the foothills of the Blue and Wallowa Mountains it is found along stream bottoms and gulches. It also inhabits oak and scrub areas, open woodlands and towns. - Wikipedia- Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna Anna's hummingbird, the largest hummingbird common to our region. It is the only hummingbird regularly found in Oregon in winter, during which time it is exposed to short daylengths, limited sources of food and periods of intense cold. It is more vocal than most hummingbirds with males uttering a dry, scratchy buzz of a song that can be heard throughout the year. It is a rare to locally uncommon summer resident west of the Cascades in interior valleys and along the coast; also along the Columbia River east to The Dalles. It occurs and probably breeds into the west Cascades at some urban developments such as Oakridge. In winter, it is uncommon to fairly common in western Oregon at lower elevations, especially where feeders are present.

It is a casual winter visitor in the south Cascades. -Wikipedia- Costa's Hummingbird Calypte costae The Costa's Hummingbird is a very rare spring and summer visitant to central and southwestern Oregon. Males are sometimes present for the entire year in the Rogue Valley. Males have been observed in canopy-free riparian habitat along Bear Creek and semi-open tall white oaks at the edge of Agate Lake. Many of these birds go undetected in Oregon because of their similarity with other hummingbird species. - Wikipedia- Calliope Hummingbird Stellula calliope This tiny jewel is the smallest breeding bird in North America and the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world. The average weight of males is approximately 0.09 oz, about half of that of an Anna's Hummingbird, and a little more than the weight of a penny. It breeds predominantly in mountain habitats, and despite its diminutive size, successfully withstands the chilly summer nights at high elevations. It is a common summer resident of the Blue and Wallowa mountains and other high ranges east of the Cascade summit. Spring and fall migrants are rare at lower elevations east of the Cascades.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird female at the nest -Photo by Bill Ratcliff, National Park Service- Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus Perhaps the most enigmatic hummingbird found regularly in Oregon, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird has so far eluded documentation of its breeding in the state, likely due to identification uncertainties and the remoteness of its preferred habitat. Primarily a Rocky Mountain species, its hard-to-define breeding range seems to reach its limit at Oregon's eastern edges, where reports of this beautiful and rare species arise each summer. The relatively large adult male has a rose-red gorget and green plumage with no dorsal rufous coloration. Females and immatures are nearly indistinguishable in the field from those of the more common Rufous Hummingbird. Hummingbirds Hummingbirds Describing hummingbirds without resorting to superlatives would be difficult, and hardly fair. This family includes the world�s smallest birds, with the most brilliant iridescent colors, the fastest wingbeats, and the most amazing ability to fly up, down, sideways, and backwards.

They spend their days hovering at flowers to sip nectar, feeding almost constantly to supply the sugar necessary to maintain their racing metabolism. Many people would call these the world�s most fascinating birds. Black-chinned Hummingbird The brightest colors and most ornate patterns among hummingbirds are worn by males, and the purpose is evidently to impress females. After mating, the male takes no more part in family life. The female alone builds the nest, incubates the tiny eggs, and feeds the young. Considering the amount of energy that an individual hummingbird needs just to feed itself, it seems remarkable that the female is able to raise the young successfully all alone. There are well over three hundred species of hummingbirds, all native to the Americas. The vast majority, not surprisingly, are found in the tropics, where flowers abound year-round. Only a handful of species reach the United States; southern Arizona hosts more than a dozen of those. Costa�s Hummingbird is the only true desert hummer here, but several others live along the desert�s edges.

Black-chinned and Broad-billed Hummingbirds nest in streamside woods in summer, while Anna�s Hummingbird, a recent invader from California, nests in the same areas (and in residential neighborhoods) in winter. Our region hosts the greatest variety of hummers in late summer, when several species are on their way south. Rufous Hummingbirds, southbound from nesting grounds in the northwest U.S., may appear in the Sonoran Desert by July, along with lesser numbers of other species, to joust for space around the blooms that follow the summer rains.

�Kenn Kaufman Anna�s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Costa�s Hummingbird (Calypte costae) Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) Order: Apodiformes Family: Trochilidae Spanish names: chuparrosa (hummingbird), chuparrosa matraquita (Broad-billed Hummingbird), chupamirto garganti-negro (Black- chinned Hummingbird), chupamirto cuello escarlata (Anna�s Hummingbird), chupamirto garganta violeta (Costa�s Hummingbird), chupaflor dorado (Rufous Hummingbird) Description The smallest birds in the world belong to this family. In our region, they range in length from 2¼ inches to 5 inches (7 to 13 cm), and from 2 g to 10 g in weight. All in our region have long, pointed beaks for probing flowers for nectar, saber-like wings for hovering in front of flowers, a generally iridescent bronze or green dorsal surface, and primarily in males, bright, colorful throat and head patches.

The iridescent throat patch is called the gorget (pronounced gore-jet). Distinguishing Features Rufous Hummingbird Broad-billed Hummingbird: 4 inches (10 cm) in length; 3 g to 4¼ g in weight. In poor light the males appear dark with red bills and forked tails. In good light, the male�s head and breast are metallic blue or blue-green. The females are a duller grey-green, but retain the dark forked tail and have red only at the base of the lower mandible. Click to hear Broad-billed Hummingbird sounds Black-chinned Hummingbird: 3¼ inches (9 cm) in length; 3 to 4 g in weight. This hummingbird is iridescent green above and gray below. The male has a velvet black throat, the bottom border of which iridesces violet in good light. The dark throat patch contrasts strongly with a white upper breast, giving a collared effect. The females lack dark throat patches. Anna�s Hummingbird: 4 inches (10 cm) in length; 3¼ g to 5 g in weight.

These �flame-throated� hummingbirds are iridescent green above and grey below. In addition, the male�s throat and forehead iridesce crimson rose in good light; in poor light, these areas appear to be velvety black. The females generally lack these iridescent rosy patches, but may have a few rose feathers on the throat. Click to hear Anna's Hummingbird sounds Costa�s hummingbird: 3¼ inches (9 cm) in length; 2¼ g to 3¼ g in weight. This �flame-throated� hummingbird is iridescent green above and grayish white below. The males in good light have an iridescent amethyst purple forehead and throat. The iridescent throat patch extends into an elongated �mustache.� In poor light, these patches appear velvety black. The female completely lacks these patches. Click to hear Costa's Hummingbird sounds Rufous Hummingbird: 3¼ (9 cm) inches in length; 3 g to 4 g in weight. The male is cinnamon-rufous on the upper parts, tail, and lower breast and belly.

In good light, the throat iridesces a metallic orange to scarlet. The female is iridescent bronze-green above and dull white below. She also has a cinnamon wash to the flanks and much rufous on all the tail feathers. Habitat Broad-billed Hummingbird Hummingbirds occupy most temperate and tropical habitats in the western hemisphere. In our region, they can be found in desert, grassland, woodland, and forest. They tend to prefer edges of dense habitats, and the scrubbier areas of open habitats. Broad-billed Hummingbird: In Arizona and Sonora, the broad-bill is found in the lower mountain canyons and in the mesquite bosques of the larger washes and rivers. Habitats also include the thorn forest and thornscrub of southern Sonora. Black-chinned Hummingbird: This is the �summer hummer� in southern Arizona. The bird winters in Mexico. In Arizona, the Black-chin inhabits deciduous woodland associations in low mountain canyons, desert riparian habitats, and cities. It is generally absent from desertscrub.

Anna�s Hummingbird: The Anna�s Hummingbird is generally considered a sedentary resident bird of the Pacific Slope, west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with some birds visiting southern Arizona and northern Sonora in the fall and winter. Since the 1960s the number of fall and winter visitors to Arizona has increased greatly, as has the number of breeding birds in our area. The first nesting in Arizona occurred in 1962. In Arizona, Anna�s Hummingbirds are found in residential areas most commonly in association with feeders and exotic plantings. They can also be found in desertscrub and riparian woodland. Costa�s Hummingbird: This hummingbird inhabits desertscrub communities dominated by cactus, ocotillo, chuparosa, and wolfberry. It is probably our most arid-adapted hummingbird. Anna's Humingbird Rufous hummingbird: This hummingbird breeds in the northwestern United States and western Canada and winters in Mexico. It tends to migrate north through western Sonora, western Arizona, to the Pacific coast; it tends to migrate south through the Rocky Mountains, including eastern Arizona. This annual migration path forms a broad oval over most of western North America.

The males generally migrate before females and immatures. During migration in Arizona and Sonora, the Rufous uses a wide variety of habitats from desertscrub to mountain meadows, wherever there are flowers or feeders. Feeding Hummingbirds are the dominant nectarivorous birds in the western hemisphere. Old World ecological equivalents include the honey-eaters of Australia and the sunbirds of Africa. Although many of these other birds may have specialized bill shapes and foot types for getting nectar, and some have bright or iridescent plumage, none achieve the specialization to nectarivory that the hummingbird has. Hummingbirds also eat many small, soft-bodied arthropods. Life History North American hummingbirds are highly territorial, both sexes protecting feeding territories, males protecting courtship territories, and females protecting nesting territories. These territories are protected by displays, songs, chases, or the mere presence of the hummer on an exposed perch. Hummingbirds are promiscuous breeders. The male merely courts and mates with receptive females. The female may mate with more than one male, but she alone builds the nest, lays and incubates the eggs, and broods and tends the young. The nest is not much larger than a jigger glass.

It is typically composed of fibrous plant down or seeds and mosses, bound together and to a branch with spider webbing. The nest may be lined with hair or feathers and decorated with leaves, bark strips, or lichens, depending on the species. Only 2 bean-sized eggs are laid and incubated for about 2 weeks, depending on the species. Young are altricial and are fed a mixture of nectar and small, soft- bodied arthropods like spiders and gnats. They fledge in about 3 weeks depending on the species and to some extent on the weather. Like many animals, most hummingbirds die during their first year. After that, their life expectancy may increase to 3 or 4 years. Few live past this, although there is a record of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird living 11 years. Broad-billed Hummingbird: In Arizona, Broad-bills nest from April through July. In Sonora, they may start earlier. The nest is saddled on a horizontal limb and is typically decorated with long strips of bark or leaves. The males have a short, buzzing, scratchy advertising song.

Black-chinned Hummingbird: Black-chined Hummingbirds breed in Arizona from April through July. The male�s dive display consists of a swooping pendulum-like dive of about 100 feet (30 m). There is a loud whirring sound at the bottom of the pendulum that is presumably produced by the wings or tail. Anna�s Hummingbird: The Anna�s Hummingbird is among the earliest of our nesting birds. Nests with young have been recorded in December in Tucson. The breeding season may extend through May. The male Anna�s is the most vociferous hummingbird in our region. Its advertising song of squeaks and buzzes is louder and more �musical� than most. Both the male and female give a �war cry� consisting of a rapid series of buzzes when they chase intruders from their area. The male also exhibits a dive display in the shape of a 100 foot (30 m) �J.� At the bottom of the dive, he gives a loud squeak. Costa�s hummingbird: The breeding season in Arizona and Sonora is late winter and spring. Some breeding may occur later in Baja California and in southern California.

The males have a �song� consisting of one drawn-out whistle, reminiscent of a ricocheting bullet. This may be given from a prominent perch or at the bottom of its U-shaped dive display. Rufous Hummingbird: In our region, the Rufous is known only as a migrant and a very pugnacious hummer at feeders. Bee Hummingbirds - Top 10 Miniature Animals - TIME Top 10 Miniature Animals On the last day of 2010, a miniature panda cow was born on a Colorado farm, the product of years of crossbreeding to create one of 24 known cows with panda-like coloring. TIME takes a look at other animals in miniature form By Katy SteinmetzMonday, Jan. 03, 2011 Lee Dalton / Alamy Hummingbirds might be known for their furious wing-flapping, but that avian family also lays claim to the smallest bird in the world. The bee hummingbird, found in Cuba, measures a little more than 2 in. (5 cm), counting the bill and the tail, and weighs about 2 grams  roughly the equivalent of two dimes.

The largest of all hummingbirds (the aptly named giant hummingbird) weighs about 10 times as much. Still, the wee bee variety can fly with the best of them, clocking in at about 50 to 80 flaps per second.

Question: Which variety of hummingbird is the world's smallest bird?
Answer: THE BEE