ruby-throated hummingbird

noun

ru·​by-throat·​ed hummingbird ˈrü-bē-ˌthrō-təd- 

: a hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) of eastern North America having a bright metallic green back, whitish underparts, and in the adult male a red throat

Examples of ruby-throated hummingbird in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hampshire County: two cackling geese at the campus pond at UMass in Amherst, six American golden-plovers, a ruby-throated hummingbird, two dickcissels, and a Nelson’s sparrow in Northampton’s East Meadows. —Maria Elena Little Endara, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2022

But the bright colors and startling speed of a ruby-throated hummingbird stunned her all the same. —Kyle Bagenstose, USA TODAY, 3 June 2022

Many bird species, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird, use bits of lichen to construct nests. —Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2022

Among hummingbird species, only the ruby-throated hummingbird nests east of the Rocky Mountains. —Jim Gilbert, Star Tribune, 15 July 2021

And sorry, but your metabolism will never match that of the ruby-throated hummingbird, which has the highest metabolic rate of any vertebrate when active. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1823, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ruby-throated hummingbird

• absurd
• averred
• bluebird
• byword
• catbird
• catchword
• concurred
• conferred
• cowbird
• cowherd
• crossword
• deferred

Kids Definition

ruby-throated hummingbird

noun

ru·​by-throat·​ed hummingbird

ˌrü-bē-ˌthrōt-əd-

: a hummingbird of eastern North America that has a bright shiny green back, whitish underparts, and in the adult male a shiny red throat