hummingbird

American  

[huhm-ing-burd] / ˈhʌm ɪŋˌbɜrd /

noun

• hummingbirds
  plural

1. a very small nectar-sipping New World bird of the family Trochilidae, characterized by the brilliant, iridescent plumage of the male, a slender bill, and narrow wings, the extremely rapid beating of which produces a humming sound: noted for their ability to hover and to fly upward, downward, and backward in a horizontal position.

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hummingbird British  

/ ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any very small American bird of the family Trochilidae, having a brilliant iridescent plumage, long slender bill, and wings specialized for very powerful vibrating flight: order Apodiformes

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hummingbirds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hummingbird

An Americanism dating back to 1625–35; humming + bird

Explanation

A hummingbird is a tiny, brightly colored bird with wings that move so fast that you can hardly see them. You can attract hummingbirds to your yard with bright red flowers. Hummingbirds are so small that they could be mistaken for insects, and many species have brilliant feathers that glint and shine like metal. They're native to North and South America, and are the only birds that can fly backwards. Hummingbirds favor sweet nectar from native red-blossomed plants, but you can also leave sugar water in special feeders for them. Their name comes from the humming sound made by their fast-beating wings, which flap up to 80 times per second.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hummingbird hummingbirds

That is more than 200 times heavier than the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world, which weighs only 1.75 grams.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

Two traps that Soto set up outside his home — vertical, clear cylinders reminiscent of a hummingbird feeder — were filled with dead flies within days, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The film cuts to a hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower on a cactus, a sea turtle floating over a coral reef, pink flamingos on a green lake, a snowflake, a butterfly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

At Huembo Lodge in Peru, a male marvellous spatuletail hummingbird fans its extraordinary tail as it feeds on flowers.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

“I know from schoolbooks that the zunzuncito is the tiniest hummingbird in the world, and it only exists in Cuba, but I’ve never seen one. Have you, Teresita?”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

It’s a good way not to think about the inevitability of the clouds and cold returning, and to enjoy hummingbirds and other winged neighbors up close instead of through a clammy windowpane.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

He trained hummingbirds to eat nectar out of his hand and posted the videos on Instagram.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

Earlier work by the same team found that hummingbirds will drink sugar water containing up to 1% alcohol, but they begin to avoid it when concentrations rise above that level.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 2026

Gray-green Hollywood Flame fuchsia are just starting to bloom in long red tubes and are irresistible to hummingbirds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025

Butterflies and hummingbirds wove and darted among the blossoms.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull