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Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

Very Small Birds

Ruby throated hummingbird is very small bird

VERY SMALL | Small | Medium | Big | Really Big

 

Species That Are Less Than 5 Inches in Length

Attention all fellow bird lovers!

Are you ready to dive into the fascinating world of feathered friends that are so small, they could fit in the palm of your hand?

The world of birds is diverse and fascinating, with species ranging from massive condors to tiny, feathery marvels. Among these tiny birds, some truly remarkable specimens stand out for their tiny size and appearance.

Many of the smallest birds belong to the hummingbird family and are known for their iridescent colors and fast-flapping wings. In fact, the smallest bird in the world, the Bee Hummingbird, is not much larger than a bee and is known for its shimmering blue-green and red plumage. These tiny birds lay their coffee-bean-sized eggs in a nest the size of a quarter!

We’ve gathered here the 11 smallest birds in the world and provided a short description of how to identify them and where to find them.

 

#1 Bee hummingbird

(Mellisuga helenae)

Bee hummingbird

Photograph ©www3.nhk.or.jp

  • Average size: 2.3 inches (5.8 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.08 ounces (2.3 grams)

The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird species in the world, resembling a large bee in size.

Male Bee Hummingbirds have iridescent blue upperparts, a red head and throat, dark wings, and a grayish-white underside. Females have bluish-green upperparts, a pale gray underside, and white spots on their tail feathers. Iridescence is not always visible, depending on lighting and angle.

Found in coastal and interior forests, mountain valleys, gardens, and swampy areas of Cuba, they prefer to live near their favorite plant, Solandra Grandiflora.

The Bee Hummingbird is listed as near threatened due to declining numbers caused by deforestation and agricultural activities leading to the loss of suitable nesting sites.

 

#2 Esmeraldas Woodstar

(Chaetocercus berlepschi)

Esmeralda's Woodstar

Photograph © biologicaldiversity.org

  • Average size: 2.5 inches (6.4 cm)
  • Average weight: less than 0.04 ounces (less than a gram)

Esmeraldas Woodstar is one of the smallest and rarest hummingbirds, only slightly larger than the Bee Hummingbird.

Males have green upperparts with a blue sheen. They have a white underside and a green band across their chest, a white stripe from their eye to the neck, a forked tail, and a bright purple throat. Females have similar plumage, although they lack the purple throat and have more of a blackish back and head instead of green.

Esmeraldas Woodstars can only be seen in the semi-evergreen to evergreen forests of western Ecuador. Their already small population of 1000-2700 individuals is decreasing due to deforestation and the IUCN Red List classifies the species as vulnerable.

 

#3 Costa’s hummingbird

(Calypte costae)

Costa's Hummingbird

  • Average size: 3.25 inches (8.25 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.1 ounces (2.8 grams)

Costa’s Hummingbirds are one of the smallest hummingbirds with a distinctive hunch-backed posture and a short tail. The males have a mostly iridescent green back and flanks, a small black tail and wings, a white underside, and an iridescent purple cap and throat with throat feathers flaring out like a mustache. Females lack the purple cap and throat feathers, and their plumage is much duller overall. They have a grayish-green upperside and white underside.

The species breeds in the desert areas of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico and migrates to western Mexico for winter. It’s common within its range and its population is increasing.

 

#4 Weebill

(Smicrornis brevirostris)

Weebill

  • Average size: 3.3 inches (8.4 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.2 ounces (5.6 grams)

The Weebill’s plumage is unremarkable in color, ranging from a yellowish-gray on the underside to olive-brownish-gray on the back. They have a faint cream-colored stripe above their light yellow eyes. The flight feathers on their wings are pale brown and the tail feathers are brown with a black bar and white tip on all except the central pairs.

The Weebill is native to mainland Australia and primarily inhabits the canopies of dry, open eucalyptus forests, mallee, and woodlands, where it feeds on small insects and their larvae. It is a widespread species that forages in flocks and can be found almost everywhere in Australia.

 

#5 Calliope Hummingbird

(Selasphorus calliope)

Calliope Hummingbird

Photograph © Alan Wilson.

  • Average size: 3.3 inches (and 8.4 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.1 ounces (2.8 grams)

Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the United States and is quite stunning with its shiny green upperside, white underside, and magenta throat. Females are a bit more modest and have a white throat and a light peachy wash on their flanks.

Calliope Hummingbird ranges from southern Canada to Mexico in western North America with their habitat depending on the season. They breed in open shrublands, forests, meadows, and thickets at high altitudes in the Rockies, and can be found in lowland brushy areas, deserts, and semi-arid areas during migration and winter.

It’s a common bird and its population appears to be stable and in slight increase according to the IUCN Red List.

 

#6 Goldcrest

(Regulus regulus)

Goldcrest

Photograph © Kentish Plumber (Flickr)

  • Average size: 3.5 inches (8.9 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.2 ounces (5.6 grams)

Goldcrest is the smallest bird in Europe but covers a huge range of 5.1 million square miles in Eurasia. It has grayish-green upperparts, whitish underparts, two white wingbars, a grayish head, and a bright crest. Males have an orange or yellow crest whereas females have a yellow one.

During breeding time, you can meet them in mature lowland and mountain coniferous forests. After the breeding season, it moves to more open areas.

It is very common within its range with a population of 80-200 million individuals.

 

#7 Spotted Pardalote

(Pardalotus punctatus)

Spotted Pardalote

Photograph © Birdsaspoetry.com

  • Average size: 3.5 inches (8.9 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.21 ounces (5.9 grams)

The spotted Pardalote is a tiny bird native to eastern and southern coastal Australia. The male has a grayish-brown back with pale spots, a black head, wings, and tail with white spots, pale eyebrows, and a rust-colored stripe on its tail. Its underside is pale creamy, and it has a yellow throat. The female mostly looks the same but it’s duller.

As they’re a common bird within their range, you can easily find them in forests and woodlands but also in parks and gardens that have eucalypts. They mostly forage around in the canopy, so you can detect them by their distinct call that has four loud notes, two low and two higher.

 

#8 Brown Gerygone

(Gerygone mouki)

Brown Gerygone

Photograph © Francesco Veronesi

  • Average size: 3.9 inches (9.9 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.19 ounces (5.4 grams)

Another small bird native to eastern coastal Australia, the Brown Gerygone has an unremarkable appearance meant to blend into its surroundings. Its upperside is a deep olive-gray or olive-brown, its tail feathers dark and possibly tipped in white, and its face and underparts are pale gray, creamy, or washed-out brown.

You can meet this bird in cool subtropical rainforests and its edges alone or in small groups of up to four. This energetic bird usually forages in tree foliage and calls with a soft call of three to four syllables that sound like “what is it”.

Although IUCN Red List didn’t have information about its population size, it’s safe to assume it’s a common bird within its range since it’s listed as least concern.

 

#9 Bushtit

(Psaltriparus minimus)

Bushtit 

Photograph © Greg Lavaty.

  • Average size: 4.3 inches (11 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.2 ounces (5.6 grams)

Bushtits are one of the smallest birds in North America and they have 10 subspecies. Although there are some significant differences in the subspecies’ plumage, they’re all characterized by a pale gray to pale grayish-brown upperside and a lighter gray underside.

Bushtits are quite common, and you can see them foraging in the foliage, sometimes even hanging upside down. They inhabit open woodlands, parks, and gardens of the western United States and the highland parts of Mexico.

 

#10 Verdin

(Auriparus flaviceps)

Verdin

  • Average size: 4.5 inches (11.5 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.24 ounces (6.8 grams)

Verdins are small but adaptable birds that have light grayish plumage and a yellow head, small reddish patches at the bend of the wings, and a short black bill. They may build several nests in one year and since the nests last for several seasons, there seem to be more nests than birds themselves.

You can meet Verdins in brushy arid regions in Mexico and the desert southwest of the United States, flitting about alone or in pairs and exchanging sharp call notes.

Although their population is still big, they’ve experienced a sharp decline in numbers due to the loss of habitat and it is expected to continue.

 

#11 Blue-gray gnatcatcher

(Polioptila caerulea)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Photograph © Greg Lavaty.

  • Average size: 4.5 inches (11.5 cm)
  • Average weight: 0.22 ounces (6.2 grams)

This very small songbird has a mostly washed-out grayish-blue upperside, a grayish-white underbelly, and a black tail. During summer, males have a black V-shaped stripe on their forehead. Females are a bit more modest and have a grayer upperside. All of them have white eye rings.

This species breeds in open deciduous forests and shrublands in Mexico, the eastern and southwestern United States, and southern Ontario. You can encounter them in a variety of woodland habitats, especially at their edges, but it avoids coniferous forests.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have a numerous population that is slightly increasing.

Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments

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About the Author

Sam Crowe

Sam is the founder of Birdzilla.com. He has been birding for over 30 years and has a world list of over 2000 species. He has served as treasurer of the Texas Ornithological Society, Sanctuary Chair of Dallas Audubon, Editor of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" web site and as a contributing editor for Birding Business magazine. Many of his photographs and videos can be found on the site.

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