Archilochus colubris

9.9

A small North American bird with a bright red throat that hovers near flowers

noun
/ˌɑrkɪˈloʊkəs kəˈluːbrɪs/

Specialized

: Archilochus colubris

The iridescent throat of the male Archilochus colubris makes it easy to distinguish from other hummingbirds.

Examples

The Archilochus colubris is often seen hovering near bright flowers in summer gardens.
Many bird enthusiasts enjoy identifying the Archilochus colubris during its migration across eastern North America.
The Archilochus colubris is a fascinating bird.
Did you see the Archilochus colubris at the feeder?
Many bird enthusiasts enjoy identifying the Archilochus colubris during its migration across eastern North America.
The Archilochus colubris is often seen hovering near bright flowers in summer gardens.
The iridescent throat of the male Archilochus colubris makes it easy to distinguish from other hummingbirds.

Synonyms

ruby-throat

vsArchilochus colubris

8.6

A small hummingbird with a bright red throat

is the scientific name used for the same small North American bird

Surface Forms

Archilochus colubris singular

Archilochus colubris plural

Morphology

Archilochus + colubris

This is a Linnaean binomial (Latinized scientific name) whose parts function as taxonomic labels rather than compositional English words; the second element is not a common English word and the label does not transparently describe 'ruby-throated hummingbird'. Scientific names are essentially arbitrary proper nouns that require domain knowledge to interpret, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent tokens would not be able to derive the common-bird meaning.

Etymology

Archilochus colubris is a scientific name that mixes a Greek name and an old word for hummingbird. The first part, Archilochus, comes from a Greek poet known for short, lively lines — a good image for the bird's quick, flashing moves — and the second part, colubris, points to its family of 'hummingbirds', so the name shows it is the small, fast ruby-throated hummingbird.