ruby-throated hummingbird

[roo-bee-throh-tid]

noun

1. a small hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, the only hummingbird of eastern North America, having metallic-green upper plumage and a bright red throat in the male.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruby-throated hummingbird¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

"They're about eight times the size of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We knew that some Giant Hummingbirds migrated, but until we sequenced genomes from the two populations, we had never realized just how different they are."

Read more on Science Daily

“I would love to walk down the street and see more gardens like this,” Bautista said as he pointed out a ruby-throated hummingbird nibbling on one of his sage plants.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

We rarely get the rufous in the Washington area, but we do get its cousin, the ruby-throated hummingbird.

Read more on Washington Post

Though there are more than 330 species in the Americas, the ruby-throated hummingbird is generally the only species that makes the Mid-Atlantic its home between spring and early fall, before flying across the Gulf of Mexico to winter in Central and South America.

Read more on Washington Post

Around these parts, it’s the ruby-throated hummingbird that holds court, though the occasional rufous hummingbird also drops in.

Read more on Washington Post