Birds come in a stunning array of colors and sizes. While many birds weigh just a few ounces, some small birds can weigh about as much as a penny. Coins provide a useful point of comparison for tiny birds that weigh just a gram or two.
How much does a penny weigh?
A United States penny minted after 1982 weighs 2.5 grams. Earlier pennies weighed 3.11 grams. The switch was made in order to reduce the cost of minting pennies while still maintaining a similar size. So a post-1982 penny weighs about the same as a paperclip or a standard wooden matchstick.
Knowing this penny benchmark allows us to compare the weights of very small birds that weigh around 1-3 grams. Several colorful species of tiny songbirds weigh about as much as a modern penny.
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are some of the smallest birds in the world. The bee hummingbird is the smallest living bird, weighing just 2 grams on average. This is almost exactly the same weight as a penny! Other tiny hummingbirds come close to penny weight as well.
Here are some small hummingbirds and their average weights:
| Hummingbird | Weight |
|---|---|
| Bee hummingbird | 2 grams |
| Cuban bee hummingbird | 2.6 grams |
| Vervain hummingbird | 2.8 grams |
| Lucifer hummingbird | 3 grams |
As you can see, these miniscule birds weigh about as much as a penny. The bee hummingbird is the closest match at just 2 grams on average. Amazingly, that makes it lighter than a penny but still large enough to be a perfectly functioning bird.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
One of the most common backyard hummingbirds in North America is the ruby-throated hummingbird. This brilliantly colored hummingbird has metallic green plumage on its back and head, with the male displaying a vibrant ruby-red throat. Ruby-throats grow to about 3-4 inches long and weigh an average of 3 grams.
With an average weight of 3 grams, the ruby-throated hummingbird is again right in line with the weight of a modern penny. So if you’re holding a penny and spot a ruby-throat visiting your feeder, you’re looking at birds of essentially equal weight!
Kinglets
Kinglets are tiny songbirds found throughout North America. The two common species are the ruby-crowned kinglet and the golden-crowned kinglet. As their names suggest, these birds have colorful red or golden patches on the tops of their heads.
These colorful kinglets weigh only slightly more than a penny:
| Kinglet | Weight |
|---|---|
| Ruby-crowned kinglet | 4-7 grams |
| Golden-crowned kinglet | 5-8 grams |
With average weights of 4-8 grams, kinglets are among the lightest birds. They rival even hummingbirds for miniscule size. A ruby-crowned kinglet on the lower end of the weight range at just 4 grams is lighter than a penny. But even the heaviest kinglets weigh about the same as three pennies, so they are still remarkably tiny and delicate.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
The golden-crowned kinglet is common across Canada and the northern United States. This tiny songbird has olive-green plumage on its back and wings, with a bright golden-yellow crown stripe. Its diminutive size matches its weight of only 5-8 grams.
You’d need just two or three pennies to match the weight of a golden-crowned kinglet. This makes the golden-crown one of the lightest birds in North America.
Small Sparrows
Several species of small sparrows also weigh in close to the penny benchmark. Here are some of the lightest sparrows and their average weights:
| Sparrow | Weight |
|---|---|
| Grasshopper sparrow | 10-18 grams |
| Chipping sparrow | 11-15 grams |
| American tree sparrow | 12-20 grams |
While most song sparrows weigh about 20-30 grams, the smallest ones like the grasshopper sparrow average just 10-18 grams. That puts them into the penny weight class, with some individuals likely weighing as little as 10-12 grams.
Chipping Sparrow
A common backyard visitor in the U.S. and Canada is the chipping sparrow. This rusty-capped sparrow has a gray face and black line through its eye. True to its name, it vocalizes with a repetitive chip call. Chipping sparrows weigh just 11-15 grams – a bit more than a penny but still very light.
With its modest weight, the chipping sparrow needs to consume lots of food daily and flits actively around your yard foraging for seeds and insects.
Warblers
Warblers comprise one of the largest bird families in North America. These colorful songbirds breed in forests across the continent. Many migratory warblers travel incredible distances of thousands of miles between their breeding and wintering grounds.
The smallest warblers weigh just 8-10 grams, rivaling hummingbirds and kinglets for featherweight status:
| Warbler | Weight |
|---|---|
| Nashville warbler | 8-12 grams |
| Tennessee warbler | 9-10 grams |
| Orange-crowned warbler | 8-11 grams |
With some individuals in the 8-9 gram range, these tiny warblers essentially match the mass of a penny. Next time you see one flitting through the trees, know that this colorful bird weighs just about as much as the copper coin in your pocket.
Nashville Warbler
The Nashville warbler is a common species found across North America. It has subdued olive-yellow plumage with a gray head. Despite its drab appearance, the male Nashville warbler sings a spirited song. Average weights are just 8-12 grams – rivaling a penny even on the higher end.
The Nashville warbler’s small size belies the immense distances it travels every year between Canadian boreal forests and Central American wintering grounds.
Conclusion
Many tiny songbirds weigh only as much as a penny or a few pennies. Bee hummingbirds, kinglets, small sparrows, and warblers span a range of 1-12 grams for their diminutive weights. So the next time you see one of these birds, you can appreciate just how lightweight they are by comparing to the pennies in your pocket.
While we often don’t think about birds in terms of their exact mass, it gives a tangible perspective on just how petite they are. A penny weighs around 3 grams, so a bird that matches that is incredibly small. Thenext time you see ruby-throated hummingbird buzzing by, imagine it on a scale balancing against Abraham Lincoln.
These micro-birds thrive at the very limits of avian miniaturization. The selective pressures that produce such tiny species are still not fully understood. But the result is some of the world’s smallest yet most colorful and energetic birds that rival even coins in their diminutive weights.
So a diverse array of species can truly be considered the answer to the question of what colorful birds weigh about the same as a penny. Hummingbirds, kinglets, sparrows, and warblers all make the cut, wearing their tiny weights as vividly as their brilliant plumages.
The wide variety also underscores how many different bird families have converged on weights of just a few grams. Tiny size poses challenges but also enables unique lifestyles and capabilities. The diverse penny-sized birds have mastered the art of thriving small, lighting up backyards and forests with their jewel-like colors.
The next time you see a ruby-throated hummingbird whir past, imagine it balancing delicately on a penny. Or when a golden-crowned kinglet flits through the branches, picture a few copper coins adding up to its minute mass. There’s an entire feathered world of colorful birds that weigh barely more than the pennies in your pocket!
