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Hummingbirds and Swifts
The birds in this order are very small and have short legs and tiny feet, in fact the word apodiformes means "footless" in Latin. Unlike other birds that have scales or scutes on their feet, the feet of the birds in this order are bare skin with no scales. They have long primary feathers and short secondary feathers. Their young are blind, naked, and helpless at birth.
There are three families in this order: Apodidae, Trochilidae and Hemiprocnidae. There are around 400 species of birds in the Apodiformes order. The smallest bird in the world, the bee hummingbird of Cuba, is a member of this order.
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