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An image supposedly showing the world's smallest bird, a zunzuncito, was widely circulated on social media in 2019. A posting from the Facebook page Nature Gold, for instance, racked up more than 45,000 shares: The zunzuncito (Mellisuga helenae), also known as the bee hummingbird or Helena hummingbird, is considered the world's smallest bird. However, the above-displayed photograph does not show this tiny bird. In fact, this photograph doesn't feature a real animal at all but a miniature figurine of a chickadee. The figurine was created by a Bulgarian artist named Ina who runs the Facebook page Malinik Miniatures. This figurine was sold for $65 on eBay and was described as follows: On the Malinik Miniatures Facebook page, Ina posted a photograph that showed the creation of this miniature chickadee: Though this viral photograph is not of a real bird, the zunzuncito is indeed real and considered to be the world's smallest bird. The zunzuncito weighs less than a dime and only grows to about 2.25 inches. Here's how the National Audubon Society described this miniature hummingbird: Here's a picture showing a real bee hummingbird: This is hardly the first time an artistic creation has been mistaken for a real-life animal. We've previously covered figurines that supposedly showed a baby platypus, baby owls, a Japanese Giant Emperor Moth, a haiku bird, and a rare marbled fuark.
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