Viral Image Does Not Show the 'World's Smallest Bird'

The claim’s facts about the bee hummingbird appear to be accurate. They are the smallest bird in the world, they live in Cuba, and they beat their wings 80 times a second. However, the image shared in the post does not depict a bee hummingbird. 

The first clue is that while the bee hummingbird is tiny, it’s not nearly as tiny as the ‘bird’ in the photo. An adult bee hummingbird measures around two and a quarter inches long, much larger than a thumbnail. They also look very different. Like other hummingbirds, they have a long needle-like beak and colorful feathers.

Photo: Patty McGann/Flickr

We did a reverse image search on the supposed bee hummingbird photo and determined that it was originally shared as a joke. It was first posted to Facebook on April 1st by Scienze Naturali, which happens to be April Fool’s day. The post makes it pretty clear it’s a joke with the following line “The research will be published in the Daily F.O.O.L.S. in the next volume of April.” 

On April 2nd, Scienze Naturali clarified that it was a joke. The post explains that the original image was created by Bulgarian artist Ina Malinik and is not a real bird. Malinik creates 1:12 scale animal and bird sculptures and displays them on Facebook and Instagram.