15 Smallest Birds in the World

2. Esmeraldas Woodstar – The Smallest Birds in South America
Esmeraldas woodstar
Esmeraldas woodstar – Photo by Bert Harris (CC BY-SA 3.0)
One of the rare animals is this neotropical species of birds from the hummingbird family, the Esmeralda woodstars (Chaetocercus berlepschi) grow only up to 2.5 inches long and weigh almost 0.8 ounces.

Although there are six subspecies in the woodstar family, the difference between them is not clearly known because they are poorly studied.

Primarily found in semi-deciduous or evergreen forests of Ecuador in South America, these little birds thrive on flowering shrubs and trees.

Esmeraldas is sexually dimorphic, and the key difference that sets the males apart from the females is the bright purple throat of the males.
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