Bumblebee Hummingbird
Bumblebee Hummingbird (Selasphorus heloisa)
Name Origin:
The genus name Selasphorus derives from the Greek selas meaning “light” or “flame” and phoros meaning “bearing,” referring to the fiery iridescence typical of the group. The species name heloisa honors Héloïse, from the 19th-century romantic correspondence between Héloïse and Abélard, a nod to poetic naming traditions in early ornithology.
Quick Facts
🪶 Length: 6.3–7.5 cm (2.5–3 in)
⚖️ Weight: 2–2.7 g (0.07–0.10 oz)
🌎 Range: Highlands of western, central, and southern Mexico
🧭 Elevation: 1,000–3,000 m (3,280–9,840 ft)
🌸 Diet: Nectar and small insects
🏡 Habitat: Pine-oak forest, scrub, clearings, and gardens
🧬 Clade: Lampornithini "North American Flame Hummingbirds"
📊 Status: Least Concern (IUCN 2024)
Subspecies & Distribution
1. Selasphorus heloisa margarethae
Distribution: Found in the highlands of northwestern and western Mexico, from southeastern Sinaloa and southwestern Chihuahua south to Jalisco.
2. Selasphorus heloisa heloisa
Distribution: Occurs in the highlands of northeastern, central, and southern Mexico, from central Tamaulipas south through Guerrero and Oaxaca.
Species Overview
The Bumblebee Hummingbird is aptly named for its minuscule size and rapid, buzzing flight. It is among the tiniest birds on Earth, rivaling the Bee Hummingbird of Cuba. This dazzling species is a common inhabitant of Mexican highlands, especially in clearings and forest edges rich in small tubular flowers.
Male Description:
The male has bright green upperparts, a glittering magenta to rose-pink gorget, and whitish underparts with a faint buffy wash on the flanks. The tail is rufous at the base with a dark terminal band, often flared in display. The bill is short, straight, and black. When hovering, the wings produce a soft, insect-like hum.
Female Description:
The female is similar but duller, lacking the bright gorget. Her throat is whitish with green or buffy spotting, and her underparts are slightly warmer buff. The tail pattern mirrors the male’s but is less vivid.
Habitat & Behavior:
This species inhabits pine-oak forest edges, scrub, and gardens, typically between 1,000 and 3,000 meters. It is most active around small flowering shrubs such as Salvia, Lobelia, and Penstemon. The Bumblebee Hummingbird is highly agile, with a rapid, whirring flight and frequent hovering. Despite its tiny size, it is territorial, defending small patches of flowers with sharp, high-pitched tsit notes and chase flights.
Conservation Note:
The Bumblebee Hummingbird is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN and remains common and stable across its range. It tolerates moderate habitat disturbance and is often seen in gardens and open woodlands. However, local populations may be affected by deforestation and conversion of montane forest. Conservation of flower-rich forest edges and oak scrub habitats supports the persistence of this jewel-like Lampornithini hummingbird.
Below is the Bumblebee Hummingbird (Selasphorus heloisa heloisa)
Photographed at Camino El Manzanal–Miramar, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico
This individual belongs to the nominate subspecies heloisa, which occurs throughout the highlands of southern Mexico, including the Sierra de Miahuatlán in Oaxaca. It inhabits pine-oak forest, forest edge, and scrubby clearings between 1,200 and 2,400 meters, often in areas rich in flowering herbs and shrubs.
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