| Mellisuga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mellisuga helenae | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Tribe: | Mellisugini |
| Genus: | Mellisuga Brisson, 1760 |
| Type species | |
| Trochilus minimus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Mellisuga is agenus ofhummingbirds in the familyTrochilidae. They are notable for being the first and second smallest bird species in the world.
The genus was introduced by the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with thevervain hummingbird as thetype species.[1][2] The nameMellisuga is a combination of theLatin wordsmel ormellis, meaning "honey" andsugere, meaning "to suck".[3]
The genus contains twospecies:[4]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bee hummingbird
Male
| Mellisuga helenae (Lembeye, 1850) | Cuba andIsla de la Juventud | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
| Vervain hummingbird
| Mellisuga minima (Linnaeus, 1758) Two subspecies
| Hispaniola (theDominican Republic andHaiti) andJamaica | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
 | Thishummingbird-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
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