Mellisuga
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Mellisuga is a genus of hummingbirds in the family Trochilidae. They are notable for being the first and second smallest bird species in the world.
The genus was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the vervain hummingbird as the type species. The name Mellisuga is a combination of the Latin words mel or mellis, meaning "honey" and sugere, meaning "to suck".
Extant species
The genus contains two species:
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bee hummingbird Male Female | Mellisuga helenae (Lembeye, 1850) | Cuba and Isla de la Juventud | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
| Vervain hummingbird | Mellisuga minima (Linnaeus, 1758) Two subspecies M. m. minima (Linnaeus, 1758)M. m. vielloti (Shaw, 1812) | Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Jamaica | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |