“Imagine a bird smaller than your thumb, known as a bee hummingbird, weighing less than a US cent. It is found only in the Cuban archipelago and travels through forests and gardens, flapping its wings 80 times per second, feeding on flowers and insects.”
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The tiny bee hummingbird is a voracious eater, consuming half its body weight in food daily and visiting up to 1,500 flowers a day to feed. The nectar from the flowers, rich in sugar, provides energy, while the insects provide protein. Capable of flying for up to 20 hours without failure, these birds require a lot of calories. During courtship, their wing movement increases up to 200 times per second, making them the fastest birds on the planet, along with the ruby-throated hummingbird. Often confused with large bumblebees, they weigh less than 2 grams (0.07 ounces). Not only are they incredibly fast and agile, but they also look majestic. Up close, the male bird has a metallic red head and throat, with deep ruby feathers on the sides of the breast and turquoise back. The female has a bright aquamarine body with a delicate gray underside.
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This charming hummingbird is a miniature wonder. When a female builds a nest, it is less than an inch in diameter, about the size of a dime. Then she lays an egg that is no bigger than a coffee bean.
The Hummingbird content creator visited the Zapata Peninsula in Cuba, where they had the opportunity to observe hummingbirds feeding in a private garden. The bee hummingbird, or zunzuncito, is known on the island for the sound its wings make, which sounds like “zun-zun.” This was reported by photographer and member Carole Turek, who described the experience as ѕрeсtасᴜɩаг.
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She was amazed by the bee hummingbird. According to her, the male bee hummingbird is only 2.2 inches or 6 centimeters long, while the female is much larger. The hummingbird bee left her pets.
One of the best places to see these beautiful little birds is the Zapata Peninsula Reserve or the nearby Playa Larga in Piñones Bay. Responding to Turek’s YouTube video chronicling his adventure, viewers were amazed by the birds’ striking colors. One viewer compared the experience to looking through a kaleidoscope, while another marveled at the fact that such small birds could survive the area’s massive storms and hurricanes.
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Don’t let the cute appearance of hummingbirds fool you: despite their plump, round bodies that serve as juicy food for predators like spiders and tropical frogs, these adorable creatures have a feisty personality. They are territorial in their feeding areas and aggressively chase away intruders. Despite their small size, they fly fantastically and can take off in any direction, even backwards and downwards.
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Hummingbirds are also energetic communicators, using chirps and chirps to communicate with each other as they move from place to place. They make a sweet buzzing sound as they fly, almost like a bumblebee.
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