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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Journey North has published nine papers based on the monarch butterfly, and one on the ruby-throated hummingbird. —

Ian Vorster, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2015 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 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 The wings of a ruby-throated hummingbird beat about 53 times per second, according to the Cornell website. —

BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2021 But only one, the ruby-throated hummingbird, breeds in the eastern United States, including Massachusetts. —

BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruby-throated hummingbird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ruby-throated hummingbird was circa 1823

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near ruby-throated hummingbird

rubythroat

ruby-throated hummingbird

ruby wasp

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ruby-throated hummingbird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruby-throated%20hummingbird. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

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