At just 5cm long and 2g in weight the smallest bird in the world is noneother than the Bee Hummingbird. Found mainly in Cuba and also holding therecord for the smallest egg in the world these guys are tiny.

Like all hummingbirds they can fly not only forwards but also backwards, up,down and even just hover. Their small size and amazing flying skills meanthey’re experts at moving from flower to flower collecting nectar and evensmall insects. In fact they’re so good at flying (some visiting as many as 1500flowers a day) that they don’t even walk anymore and only use their feet forperching.

Now in order to maintain such flying control there’s one skill we haven’ttouched upon yet, and that’s their ability to beat their wings at up to 80times per second. That’s so fast that humans can only see the wings moving as afaint blur. Now that’s quick!

ScienceFacts

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