bee hummingbird

noun

: a very small hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) native to Cuba that is about 2.4 inches (6.1 centimeters) long from bill tip to tail tip

Our greatest thrill, however, took place in a Cuban crocodile swamp, where we hoped to find the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world.

—Esther Quesada Tyrrell, International Wildlife, May/June 1991

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

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