HUMMINGBIRD FACTS With 320 species, hummingbirds make up the second-largest bird family in the Western Hemisphere They

ey are the minikin of the bird world: The bee hummingbird of Cuba measures 2.25 inches [about 6 cm] from the tip of its tail to the tip of its bill The largest hummingbird is 8.5 inches [22 cm] in overall length and is found in western South America from Ecuador to Chile Their main habitat includes the equatorial zone across South America from sea level to more than 15,000 feet [4,500 m] and some islands of the Caribbean and the Pacific During summer months they are found as far north as Alaska and as far south as Tierra del Fuego At one time, millions were slaughtered to provide decorations for the European millinery trade, likely exterminating some species