# Bee hummingbird (*Mellisuga helenae*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/bee-hummingbird  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) is a bird of the family Trochilidae, subfamily Trochilinae, in the order Apodiformes. It is a tiny bird with an adult body mass of 2.2 g, with reported values from 1.9 to 2.55 g. This nectarivore is a sedentary, aerial forager of forest habitat, with a geographic range of 108,900 km². It lays 2 eggs per clutch, 2 clutches per year, with an incubation period of 18.5 days, and is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.9 g – 2.55 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 8.5 years |
| Diet | Nectarivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 10 years |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 18.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Lifestyle | Aerial |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Apodiformes
- family: Trochilidae
- genus: Mellisuga
- species: *Mellisuga helenae* (Lembeye, 1850)

Synonyms: *Calypte helenae*, *Calypte helenae helenae*, *Calypte helenae helenae*, *Calypte helenae helenae*, *Orthorhynchus helenae*, *Philodice helenae*

## Common questions

### How much does a bee hummingbird weigh?

An adult bee hummingbird weighs 2.2 g, with reported values from 1.9 to 2.55 g.

### What does the bee hummingbird eat?

The bee hummingbird is a nectarivore, placing it at the herbivore trophic level.

### Is the bee hummingbird endangered?

No. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a bee hummingbird live?

Its lifespan is given as 8.5 years, with a highest reported value of 10 years.

### How many eggs does the bee hummingbird lay?

It lays 2 eggs per clutch and has 2 clutches per year. The eggs are incubated for 18.5 days.

### What habitat does the bee hummingbird live in?

The bee hummingbird lives in forest, where it forages in the aerial stratum and is sedentary.

### Who named the bee hummingbird?

Its scientific name, Mellisuga helenae, is attributed to (Lembeye, 1850).

### What kind of animal is the bee hummingbird?

The bee hummingbird is a bird in the family Trochilidae, order Apodiformes.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bee-hummingbird