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.

---

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

---

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

And there’s always a hummingbird, designed “like a mechanical Fabergé egg,” hidden among the art.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 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

When I see a hummingbird, I think,”‘You little critter. You know you have more than one life and I wish I could fly along with you.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

A quest to photograph every species of hummingbird.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 28, 2025

But it left something with him; as long as the hummingbird had not abandoned the land, somewhere there were still flowers, and they could all go on.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

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