When it comes to wildlife, it includes many small birds which need fewer resources for survival. The best part is that they can easily hide in any place to keep themselves safe from predators. These birds are known to be quite agile and are often ranked as smallest based on their height. The best way to ensure that such species do not become extinct from the earth is to provide them with natural habitats where they can survive easily.
Top 10 smallest birds in the world:
1. Bee Hummingbird:
It is a native of Cuba and is named so because it hovers around flowers flapping its wings 200 times per second. With 5-6 cm in length and 1.7-2 grams weight, it is the tiniest and lightest bird in the world. The nest of this bird is built using cobwebs and lichen where it lays pea-sized eggs.
2. Lesser Goldfinch:
This bird is just 10 cm long and weighs about 10 grams. It is mainly a monogamous and native species of North America, Bahamas, Turks, and Caicos Islands. The male and female species have a significant coloration difference.
3. Golden-Headed Cisticola:
This bird is a native of South Asia and Australia and has a golden head. Since it makes an amazing tidy nest using threads from plants and spider webs, it is also referred to as the “finest tailor of all birds”. This omnivorous bird is 10 cm long and weighs just 8 grams and is commonly found in humid grasslands.
4. Weebill:
This bird is found in Australian jungles and is about 8 cm long and 6 gm in weight. It often feeds on larvae, small insects, and tends to live in eucalyptus-rich regions.
5. Pardalote:
It is an adorable bird in Australia which is about 9.5 cm long and weighs 6 grams. Plumage that is brightly patterned with a plump look is its main characteristic. Despite being tiny in size, they easily make holes in eucalyptus trees for feeding on lerps and other larvae.
6. Goldcrest:
This is Europe’s smallest bird that is 9 cm long and 5.7 grams in weight. It is characterized by black and yellow stripes on the head with an orange center in the case of makes. Its beaks are thin and can easily pick insects between pine needles. Despite being so small, it can incubate 12 eggs at a time in its nest.
7. Simple Firecrest:
It is 9.3 cm long and weighs 5.5 grams and is characterized by a yellowish tinge with a fawn strip of white color above its eyes. During the autumn and winters, these can be often found picking small insects.
8. Brown Gerygone:
This bird is commonly found in the rainforest and is native to the eastern coast of Australia. It is 10 cm long and weighs 6 grams. You can find them living in small groups which forage together at various heights of the canopy. They feed on flying insects in the forest.
9. Verdin:
It is found in Mexico and the southern USA and is 10 cm long with a weight of 7 grams. Nests are built by it in the shrubs and thorny bushes using twigs, feathers, grass, and hair. You can find them hunting for insects in the desert scrub plants.
10. Costa’s Hummingbird:
This bird is a native of the southwestern part of North America and thrives in a desert environment. It is 7.6-8.9 cm long and 2.8 grams in weight. The male bird is characterized by a brilliant purple plumage on its head.
Conclusion:
These were some of a large number of tiny birds in the forests around the world. Despite their size, they surprise us with their skills and adroitness but the sad part is that due to lack of habitation some birds like the bee hummingbird have been listed as near threatened by IUCN.
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