Bee elf

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Bee elf
Bee elf in Cuba (male)

Bee elf in Cuba (male)

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Sailor birds (Apodiformes)
Family : Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Genre : Mellisuga
Type : Bee elf
Scientific name
Mellisuga helenae
( Lembeye , 1850)

The bee elf ( Mellisuga helenae ), also known as Kubaelfe or bumblebee hummingbird , also known as bee or elf hummingbird , is considered the smallest species of hummingbird and the smallest bird in the world. It also lays the smallest bird eggs . In addition, the dwarf fairy ( Mellisuga minima ( Linnaeus , 1758)) is often mentioned as the smallest species.

Appearance and characteristics

Bee elves measure about 5–7 cm from tail to beak, females grow larger than males. Weighing around 1.8 grams, they are lighter than an ostrich feather. Your heart beats 300 to 500 beats per minute.

The plumage characteristic of hummingbird species is different in male and female bee elves. The plumage of the male is bluish iridescent on the upper side and that of the female is more greenish, the color of the underside of the plumage is light gray in both cases. The tail feather tips of the females are white, while males can be recognized by the metallic red color of the head and throat.

food

The bee elf feeds exclusively on nectar. It soaks it up with its long, straw-shaped tongue, split at the tip, which is twice as long as its thin beak. It hovers in the air in front of the plant with over 90 wing beats per second. The nectar also absorbs pollen, which is transported from flower to flower. Thus the bee elf has an important role in the pollination of plants. The number of flowers visited and pollinated can be as high as 1500 flowers per day.

Occurrence

Distribution map

The species is endemic . It needs forest areas rich in epiphytes and lianas and is therefore only found in some regions of the main island of Cuba , such as the Ciénaga de Zapata and the Guanahacabibes Peninsula . The bee elf is also present on Isla de la Juventud , which was previously called Isla de Pinos .

Etymology and history of research

The bee elf was discovered in 1844 by the German naturalist Johann Christoph Gundlach . It was first described in 1850 by Juan Lembeye under the scientific name Orthorhynchus helenæ . He used a manuscript by Gundlach for this. Only later was the species assigned to the genus Mellisuga Brisson , 1760. The word is derived from the Latin "mel, mellis" for "honey" and "sugere" for "suck". The specific epithet is dedicated to Elena de Faz, the wife of the Cuban plantation owner Charles Booth, who was friends with Gundlach. Elena de Faz died of cholera in 1850.

  • Climbing warbler ( Mniotilta varia ) ( Linnaeus , 1766) and bee elf ( Mellisuga helenae ). Lithograph by Luis Marquier from Calle De Lamrilla No. 96 in Havana (plate for the original description). Laureano Fernández was the illustrator.

  • Bee elf after John Gould

Subspecies

There are no known subspecies of the bee elf. It is considered monotypical .

Web links

Commons : Bee Elf ( Mellisuga helenae )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Bienenelfe  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

literature

  • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
  • Juan Lembeye: Aves de la isla de Cuba . tape 1 . Imprenta del Tiempo, Havana 1850 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Mathurin-Jacques Brisson: Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés: a laquelle on a joint une description exacte de chaque espèce, avec les citations des auteurs qui en ont traité, les noms quils leur ont donnés, ceux que leur ont donnés les différentes nations, & les noms vulgaires . tape 1 . Ad Ripam Augustinorum, apud Cl. Joannem-Baptistam Bauche, bibliopolam, ad Insigne S. Genovesae, & S. Joannis in Deserto, Paris 1760 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Juan Gundlach: Additions and corrections to the contributions to Cuba's ornithology . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 9 , 1861, p. 401-416 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • Juan Gundlach: Notes on some species of birds of the Island of Cuba . In: The Auk . tape 8 , no. 2 , 1891, p. 187–191 ( sora.unm.edu [PDF; 497 kB ]).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ badische-zeitung.de: The bee elf lays the smallest eggs . Badische Zeitung , April 15, 2014 (April 20, 2014)
  2. ↑ a b bee elf . In: tierdoku.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ Internet Bird Collection Bee Hummingbird
  4. ↑ Juan Lembeye, p. 70.
  5. ^ Mathurin-Jacques Brisson, p. 40.
  6. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 249.
  7. ^ Johann Christoph Gundlach (1891), pp. 187-188.
  8. ↑ Aves de la Isla de Cuba at Cuba Museo.net
  9. ^ IOC World Bird List Hummingbirds

Remarks

  1. ↑ Gundlach called the species in 1861 on page 414 alternatively Orthorhynchus Booti .