Meet 9 of the world’s smallest birds!
SO SMALL YOU WONDER IF THEY ARE ACTUALLY REAL AS THEY FLY ON BY, MOST BIRDS GET RECOGNITION FOR THEIR BEAUTY LIKE THE LEGENDARY BIRDS OF PARADISE.
Or the toughest and most leather, such as hawks and eagles. These birds get their recognition for their diminutive size, they are the smallest birds in the world.
1/ THE RED-CHEEKED CORDON BLEU
An African finch, the red-cheeked cordon bleu is a colorful species of bird with iridescent blue feathers that have a bright red spot on their cheeks, making them look like they are in a state of perpetual embarrassment. Growing a paltry five inches in length, they weigh in at .35 ounces. They are found in central and eastern Africa.
2/ THE VERDIN
The Verdin is a yellow bird mainly located in the southwest United States and Mexico. A tiny species of penduline tit, they are only 4.5 inches long, second only to the 4.3-inch bushtit as the smallest of the passerine birds on the American continent.
Verdin likes to dine on insects it finds among desert scrub, sometimes snacking on dried sugar it finds in hummingbird feeders.
3/ THE LESSER GOLDFINCH
The lesser goldfinch is the smallest North American finch of the Spinus genus. It may very well be the smallest true finch in the entire world, growing to an average of just 3.5 to 4.7 inches in length. The Andean siskin may beat it by a feather for the title, though, as it comes in at an average of 3.7 to 4.3 inches in length. Still, the goldfinch is truly minuscule. It weighs around 0.28 to 0.41 ounces.
4/ THE GOLDCREST
Not only Britain’s smallest bird, but it is also Europe’s smallest bird, being just 3.3-3.7 inches in length. Having olive-green upper parts with white underparts, the goldcrest has two white wing bars. The crown of the head has black sides and a narrow black front finished off with a bright yellow-orange crest on the male.
5/ BEE HUMMINGBIRD
The goldcrest may be the smallest bird in Europe, but the smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird. It is only 2 to 2.4 inches long (barely more substantial than a bee, hence its name) and weighs 0.056 to 0.071 ounces. That’s less than the weight of a single penny. They make nests of cobwebs and lichen where they incubate eggs the size of peas. The bee hummingbird is native to Cuba and is rarely spotted on other nearby islands. Though it is a tiny miracle among birds, it is listed as near threatened due to habitat loss as forests transition to farmland.
6/ THE WILLOW TIT
Despite its diminutive size, the Willow tit likes wintery weather. This bird is located in sub-arctic Europe and northern Asia. Only 4.5 inches long, they weigh 0.31 to 0.38 ounces – making them about the same size as its neighbor the marsh tit. Looking almost identical they can be distinguished by their different song.
7/ COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD (CALYPTE COSTAE)
Costa’s hummingbird is endemic to North America’s southwest preferring to inhabit desert habitats. A small hummingbird, they are only 3 to 3.5 inches in length, weighing in at 0.1 ounces. The male sports a vivid yellow streak on his crown, bordered with a lovely shade of royal purple.
8/ THE SPOTTED PARDALOTE
This species is tiny but flashy, with plumage of amazing colors and patterns. Found in eastern and southern Australia in eucalyptus forests, it is one of the continent’s smallest bird species at only 3.1 to 3.9 inches in length. The diminutive size helps in their preferred nesting spots: small tunnels. Sadly, this beautiful bird species is facing a decline due to the loss of its preferred forest habitat for human uses such as sheep-grazing or urban development.
9/ THE WEEBILL
This species has a wee bill (the source of its name) and a tiny body to match. The weebill only grows to be about 3 to 3.5 inches long, and it beats out the spotted pardalote as Australia’s smallest bird species. These petite birds travel in small flocks and live in almost any wooded area, though they love eucalyptus forests the most.
