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Narrowing that down to eleven of the smallest birds in North America was no easy task. In this article, we look at their size, characteristics, behavior, size, wingspan, and habitats. With so many hummingbird species in North America, this list could almost be filled up by them.
- Downy Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens. Length: 5.5 to 7.1 in / 14 to 18 cm. Weight: 0.71 to 1.16 oz / 20 to 33 g. Downy Woodpeckers are the smallest woodpecker found in North America!
- American Goldfinch. Spinus tristis. Length: 4.3–5.5 in / 11–14 cm. Weight: 0.39–0.71 oz / 11–20 g. These colorful and small birds are common in North America.
- House Sparrow. Passer domesticus. Length: 6.3 in / 16 cm. Weight: 0.85 to 1.39 oz / 24 to 39.5 g. House Sparrows are an invasive species that originated from the Middle East.
- Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia. Length: 4.3 to 7.1 in / 11 to 18 cm. Weight: ~ 1.1 oz / 32 g. These small birds are common in North America, especially in wet & shrubby open areas.
- American Goldfinch
- Carolina Chickadee
- Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Lesser Goldfinch
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Verdin
- American Bushtit
- Costa’s Hummingbird
- Calliope Hummingbird
- Bee Hummingbird
As the name suggests, the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a brightly golden colored bird in the Finch family, found in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, depending on the time of year. They have yellow plumage over most of their bodies, with a black spot that covers much of the front of their head, and black and white striped wings. Thei...
Measuring only 4.5-5 inches in length and weighing in at around one-third of an ounce is our ninth smallest bird in North America, the Poecile carolinensis or Carolina Chickadee. This black and white-headed bird may be small, but it is considered a very aggressive bird. It has a predominantly white body, with gray wings and bits of gray at the end ...
The Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla, is a songbird from the southwestern United States. It measures 3.5-4.3 inches long with a weight that varies between just over one-third of an ounce to just under one-half an ounce. Their names stem from the brown spot that covers most of the crowns of their heads. They have a bit of that same color across ...
Like its cousin in the number 10 spot of the smallest birds in North America, Spinus psaltria, the Lesser Goldfinch, has bright gold plumage over most of its body. However, instead of the solid black that the American Goldfinch has, the Lesser Goldfinch has gray and white mottledthrough its black areas and its back is a darker, mottled yellow. Its ...
Like many of the smallest birds, the Regulus calendulaor Ruby-crowned Kinglet has a lot of energy and flicks its wings almost constantly. Yet this little grayish-green kinglet only burns around 10 calories per day! Males have a red crown, which they mostly keep hidden. These birds have gray and white striped wings and round bodies that tend more to...
Like the kinglet, the smallest Verdins (Auriparus flaviceps) are around 3.5 inches with a maximum length of 4.3 inches, but it gets a higher spot because it only weighs between one-fifth and one-third of an ounce, a full 0.10 ounces less than our number five. A Verdin is a type of tit that looks like a Chickadeebut is not closely related. It has a ...
According to some sources, the American Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) reaches lengths of 2.8 inches up to 4.33 inches, but it can weigh as little as one-tenth of one ounce, with a maximum weight of 0.20 ounces. These round little birds are mostly gray to grayish brown, with some slight darkening toward the top of their bodies. Their beaks and feet...
The oldest known Costa’s Hummingbird was nearly nine years old. These tiny birds reach a maximum length of 3.5 inches, but they weigh no more than 0.10 ounces. These birds are quite beautiful, with whitish silver bodies and green under-plumage. The males have vivid iridescent purple feathers all around their faces. They have long thin black beaks, ...
The Selasphorus calliopeor Calliope Hummingbird is a species of hummingbird found across the southwestern United States and much of Mexico. They reach a maximum length between three to 3.5 inches and weigh only one-tenth of an ounce. The coloration between males and females is not very different. These birds are mostly varying shades of iridescent ...
Coming in at number one, the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) not only tops the list of smallest birds in North America, but it is also the smallest known bird in the world. This tiny hummingbird is only found in Cuba, and it lays its coffee bean-sized eggs in nests that are only roughly an inch across, or about the same size as a United States ...
- Female
- December 27, 1990
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At a Glance. This is the smallest bird in North America, measuring about 3 inches long and weighing about one-tenth of an ounce. Despite its tiny size, it is able to survive cold summer nights at high elevations in the northern Rockies, and some migrate every year from Canada all the way to southern Mexico. In migration it may be overlooked ...
- The Calliope Hummingbird – The Tiniest Jewel. The Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) holds the title for the smallest bird species in North America.
- The Costa’s Hummingbird – A Vibrant Beauty. Next on our list is Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae), another small wonder of the avian world. This bird measures between 3-3.5 inches in length and weighs around 2-4 grams.
- The Black-Chinned Hummingbird – A Delicate Wonder. The Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) is another tiny bird that graces the skies of North America.
- The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird – A Tiny Jewel with a Vibrant Throat. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is a small bird with a big personality.
Dryobates pubescens. At a Glance Range & Identification Behavior Climate Vulnerability Explore More Back to Top. The smallest woodpecker in North America, common and widespread, although it avoids the arid southwest. In the east this is the most familiar member of the family, readily entering towns and city parks, coming to backyard bird feeders.
Explore more than 800 North American bird species, learn about their lives and habitats, and how climate change is impacting their ability to survive.
