The world's tiniest bird, Cuba's bee hummingbird

Bernabe Hernández feeds a Zunzuncito hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) with a mixture of water and sugar in his backyard, which he baptized as the Hummingbird's House, on July 5, 2024, in Palpite village, Ciénaga de Zapata, Matanzas province, Cuba.

The wings of the world's tiniest birds are a near-invisible blur as they whizz around tourists visiting a private Cuban garden that has become a haven for the declining species.

The bee hummingbird, which measures five or six centimeters (two inches), is only found in Cuba.

Still, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says it has disappeared from many areas due to forest loss. — Agence France Presse