Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| colibrí | /koliˈbɾi/ | masculine |
| chupaflor | /ˌt͡ʃupaˈfloɾ/ | Colombia, masculine |
| chuparrosa | /t͡ʃupaˈrosa/ | Mexico, masculine |
| gorrión | /ɡoˈrjon/ | Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, masculine |
| picaflor | /ˌpikaˈfloɾ/ | South America, masculine |
| quinde | /ˈkinde/ | masculine |
| tucusito | /tukusito/ (from spelling rules) | Venezuela, masculine |
| visitaflor | /biˌsitaˈfloɾ/ | Panama, masculine |
| zumbador | /θumbaˈdoɾ/ /sumbaˈdoɾ/ |
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, masculine |
| zunzún | /θunˈθun/ /sunˈsun/ |
Cuba, masculine |
The term refers to any of the various small American birds in the family Trochilidae.
What does it mean word for word?
The term picaflor is a compound of pica (pecks/picks) and flor (flower). The term chupaflor is a compound of chupa (sucks) and flor (flower).
Is it said differently in some regions?
Spanish speakers use different names for the bird depending on their location. In Colombia, you may hear chupaflor. In Mexico, the term chuparrosa is used, though chupaflor is also occasionally used. In Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, the word gorrión is used. In South America, specifically Argentina, picaflor is the most common term. In Panama, the word is visitaflor. In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, you will hear zumbador. In Cuba, the word is zunzún. In Venezuela, the bird is called tucusito.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of colibrí is colibríes.
How do you pronounce it?
/koliˈbɾi/
Did you know?
- The term colibrí was not originally Spanish but was borrowed from the French word colibri, which had been adopted from a Caribbean language.
- The term zumbador, used in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, is onomatopoeic, derived from the buzzing sound the bird makes.
- The name visitaflor, used in Panama, personifies the bird as a 'flower visitor' rather than just a creature that eats nectar.
Examples in context
- El colibrí es el ave más pequeña del mundo.The hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world.This sentence is useful for describing the size of the hummingbird.Tatoeba #845495 by Shishir, translation #878041 by papabear
- El plumaje de los colibríes es muy hermoso.Hummingbird plumage is very beautiful.This sentence is useful for describing the beauty of the plumage of colibrí.Tatoeba #10566064 by saverius, translation #10613532 by sangelo
- El colibrí es el pájaro más pequeño del mundo.The hummingbird is the world's smallest bird.This sentence is useful for describing the hummingbird as the world's smallest bird.Tatoeba #5763839 by baudelaire, translation #10613552 by sangelo
- Admiro la belleza de los colibríes en el jardín de mi abuela.I admire the beauty of the hummingbirds in my grandmother's garden.
- Vimos una chuparrosa revoloteando por el jardín.We saw a hummingbird fluttering around the garden.
- ¡Mira qué lindo pajarito! Es un colibrí.Look at that cute little bird! It's a hummingbird.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are watching birds in a garden.
- Sofía¡Mira ese colibrí!Look at that hummingbird!
- JavierEs un colibrí muy rápido.It is a very fast hummingbird.
- SofíaMe encanta ver al colibrí en las flores.I love watching the hummingbird in the flowers.
- JavierSí, el colibrí es fascinante.Yes, the hummingbird is fascinating.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hummingbird” translations and entries colibrí, chupaflor, chuparrosa, gorrión, picaflor, quinde, tucusito, visitaflor, zumbador, zunzún, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chupaflor, chuparrosa, colibrí, gorrión, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
