hummingbird

/ˌhʌmɪŋˈbʌrd/

/ˈhʌmɪŋbəd/

Other forms: hummingbirds

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.

Definitions of hummingbird

1. noun

   a tiny bird that hovers and flies by quickly beating its wings, found in the Americas
   types:

   Archilochus colubris

   a kind of hummingbird

   thornbill

   any of various South American hummingbirds with a sharp pointed bill

   type of:

   apodiform bird

   nonpasserine bird having long wings and weak feet; spends much of its time in flight