Humming-bird is the popular name for the Trochilidae family of minute and beautiful birds, so called from the sound of their wings in flight. The beak is slender, generally long, sometimes straight and sometimes curved. The tongue is long and filiform. They feed by hovering by a plant and use their tongue to catch insects.
In size humming-birds vary from that of a wren to that of a humble-bee. They never light to take food, but feed while on the wing, hovering before a flower, supported by a rapid vibratory movement of the wings which produces the humming noise. These beautiful birds are peculiar to America, and almost exclusively tropical. One species, the ruby-throated humming-bird (Trochilus colubris) is pretty common in the north-east of the United States. The only note of the humming-bird is a single chirp, not louder than that of a cricket. It is very fearless and irascible, two males scarcely ever meeting without a contest. Among the more remarkable of these birds is the tufted-necked humming-bird (Ornismya ornata) of Guiana and Northern Brazil. In this species the crest, outer tail-feathers, and neck-plumea are reddish chestnut, the latter tipped with green, the throat and upper part of the breast are emerald green, the back bronze green. Research Humming-bird
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