Trochilidae
Sign in to saveHummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 375 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Central and South America. As of 2026, 21 hummingbird species are listed as endangered or critically endangered, with about 255 species declining in population.
AI overview
Trochilidae is the family of hummingbirds, small birds native to the Americas with roughly 375 species spread across the continent from Alaska to the tip of South America. These birds matter because many species are in trouble—21 are currently endangered or critically endangered, and about 255 species are experiencing population declines.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderApodiformes
- FamilyTrochilidae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
52 sectionsContents
- Description
- Morphology
- Life cycle
- Population estimates and threatened species
- Superficially similar species
- Range
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Evolution
- Phylogeny
- Geographic diversification
- Coevolution with ornithophilous flowers
- Coevolution "syndrome"
- Sexual dimorphisms
- Feather colors
- Specialized characteristics and metabolism
- Humming
- Visual system
- Anatomy
- Adaptations
- Song, vocal learning, and hearing
- Metabolism
- Heat dissipation
- Kidney function
- Hemoglobin adaptation to altitude
- Adaptation to winter
- Torpor
- Lifespan
- Natural enemies
- Predators
- Parasites
- Reproduction
- Flight
- Wingbeats and flight stability
- Feather sounds
- Courtship dives
- Wing feather trill
- Migration
- South America
- North America
- Feeding
- Beak specializations
- Perception of sweet nectar
- Tongue as a micropump
- Feeders and artificial nectar
- Visual cues of foraging
- Olfaction
- In myth and culture
- Gallery
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 375 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Central and South America. As of 2026, 21 hummingbird species are listed as endangered or critically endangered, with about 255 species declining in population.
Hummingbirds have varied specialized characteristics to enable rapid, maneuverable flight: exceptional metabolic capacity, adaptations to high altitude, sensitive visual and communication abilities, and long-distance migration in some species. Among all birds, male hummingbirds have the widest diversity of plumage color, particularly in blues, greens, and purples. Hummingbirds are the smallest mature birds, measuring in length. The smallest is the bee hummingbird, which weighs less than , and the largest is the giant hummingbird, weighing . Noted for long beaks, hummingbirds are specialized for feeding on flower nectar, but all species also consume small insects.