How Much Do Hummingbirds Weigh? See Their Size Compared to Other Birds

Hummingbirds are some of the smallest animals in the world. In fact, one species of hummingbird, the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), is the smallest bird! While there’s no doubt that these are some tiny fliers, just how small are they? Below, we will answer this question and others, such as “How much do hummingbirds weigh.”

Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in!

How Much Do Hummingbirds Weigh?

There are over 300 species of hummingbirds in the world. As a result, there can be some variance in weight. Adult bee hummingbirds weigh anywhere from  0.056 to 0.067 ounces. For comparison, your typical piece of paper weighs around 0.18 ounces. The largest hummingbird species is the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas). This species weighs 0.63 to 0.85 ounces.

As a result, hummingbirds as a family weigh between 0.056 and 0.85 ounces. But how does this compare to other species of birds?

The largest species of bird is the ostrich (Struthio camelus). Adults can grow up to 287 pounds. This means that it would take more than 5,402 of even the largest hummingbirds to weigh the same as an ostrich. 

Hummingbirds share their habitats with many different common species. This includes the house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), and the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos).

The house finch is another small bird species, weighing around 0.67 to 0.78 ounces. As a result, while they may appear larger than hummingbirds, they weigh around the same. In fact, the largest house finch is smaller than the largest of hummingbirds! Mourning doves, however, weigh around 4.0 to 6.0 ounces on average. This means that it takes about seven hummingbirds to weigh the same as a mourning dove. Finally, the American crown is a medium-sized bird, with adults weighing 11 to 21 ounces. As a result, you’ll need 25 of the largest hummingbirds to balance the scales with this species.

Hummingbird Size: Length and Wingspan

Now that you know a bit more about how much hummingbirds weigh and their size compared to other birds, you may be wondering about additional facts. This includes the average length of hummingbirds as well as their wingspan.

Like with weight, this fluctuates based on species. They measure between three and five inches in length on average. Bee hummingbirds are about two inches in length, while giant hummingbirds can be as long as 9.1 inches! To use one of our examples from above, the house finch tends only to grow to be between five and six inches from bill tip to tail tip. This means that they’re nearly half the size of adult giant hummingbirds.

Like with length, the average wingspan of hummingbirds is also three to five inches. The bee hummingbird’s wingspan is 1.5 inches from wingtip to wingtip; the giant hummingbird is 8.5 inches. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © AGAMI stock/iStock via Getty Images