Definition of: hummingbird

(hum′ing·bûrd′) noun
A small, brilliantly colored bird of the New World (family Trochilidae), mostly tropical, related to the swifts. They feed chiefly upon insects and the sweets of flowers, and are named from the humming sound produced by the rapid motion of their wings as they hover over the flowers. The common hummingbird of the eastern United States is known as the rubythroat.