What Are the Largest and Smallest Birds in the World?

The Helena's hummingbird, a native of Cuba, is so small that you could mistake it for an insect. This tiny creature is only 21/4 inches long, including the tail and the bill.

Of this 21/4 inches, its body is only a half- inch long. It would take 18 of these birds to weigh one ounce — which makes the Helena's hummingbird lighter than some moths!

Even though it doesn't fly, the ostrich, which can weigh 350 pounds, claims the title of the world's largest bird. However, the largest flying bird is the Kori bustard of Africa, which sometimes weighs over 40 pounds. This bird is about 11,000 times larger than the Helena's hummingbird — and the ostrich is 100,000 times larger!