The Giant Hummingbird is the largest of the hummingbird species, reaching up to seven inches in length.  The Peruvian Sheartail, named for the long pair of tail feathers displayed by the male during breeding season, is one of the smallest hummingbirds at only one and a half inches long.  The iridescent Sparkling Violet-ear can grow as large as four inches.

The hummingbirds came from L’Arche des Papillons in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada, after that institution closed.  The Detroit Zoo is one of four U.S. zoos to receive hummingbirds; the others are the North Carolina Zoo, Miami Metro Zoo and Brookfield (Illinois) Zoo.

The Detroit Zoo’s Butterfly Garden opened in 1995 with seven hummingbirds, the last of which died in 2001.  The Zoo hopes to breed its pairs of Giant Hummingbirds and Peruvian Sheartails.  The Butterfly Garden also houses over 40 species of butterflies from Costa Rica and El Salvador.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 

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