Cuba's Enchanting Bee Hummingbird

One of the most fascinating birds on earth is found only in Cuba and a couple of the surrounding islands. The Bee Hummingbird, the smallest in the world at less than 2" long and weighing less than an ounce, is lighter than a penny and comparable in size to a bumble bee! Most of the world's hummingbirds are anywhere from 2.5" to 8" long.

The Bee Hummingbird's minuscule size is more than made up for by the male's plumage during the mating season. He has a reddish-pink head, throat and chin and an iridescent patch on his throat with longer plumes. His upper feathers are blue while the belly is very light grey. He is without a doubt the most colorful hummingbird in the hemisphere until he sheds his mating plumage; even after mating season both the male and the female are beautiful, iridescent green. The female's plumage does not change; her outer tail feathers are tipped with white while her belly is light grey and her upper plumage is bluish-green.

The mating season for the Bee Hummingbirds begins once the rainy season ends when there are a lot of flowering trees, vines, and shrubs. Contrary to their usual solitary lives males will form leks, which are groups of males singing to attract females. The females flit among the leks and choose a male that pleases them with his song; this can happen several times with each bird mating with several partners.

Bee hummingbirds live solitary lives with the exception of breeding season. These birds do not flock together and there is no pair bonding as with other species of hummingbirds. After mating, the males go their own way and the females choose the location of the nest, build it themselves, hatch and raise their young. The nest is unique in that it is built to expand in size as the chicks grow. It is usually built on a thin branch 3-20 feet from the ground.

Since Cuba has no seasonal extremes it is ideal for this species of hummingbird. You can find them in the coastal forests and mountain valleys, interior forests, swamplands, and they especially love gardens. Many Cubans plant Solandra Grandiflora, a vine with large red flowers that produce the nectar that the Bee Hummingbird prefers above all others. It is also called the Chalice Vine or Cup of Gold Vine.

These tiny birds will visit up to 1500 flowers a day. They must eat half their body weight and drink 8 times their body weight in order to support their high metabolism. With those requirements it's little wonder that they are quite aggressive in protecting their territory if they find flowers with high energy nectar.

The Bee Hummingbird is now fairly rare because of loss of habitat due to the spread of agriculture. They are also prey for frogs, large tropical spiders, fish, and larger birds. This species is currently classified as NearThreatened. It is only found in Cuba, mostly due to the fact that its size limits its range but has occasionally been seen on neighboring islands. It is now believed to be extinct on Isla de la Juventud (formerly the Isle of Pines) for reasons as yet unknown.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com