Hummingbird is a Google search algorithm, first announced August 2013.
The Hummingbird update represented a shift in Google’s approach towards understanding search queries: rather than focusing on individual keywords, it looks at the context and intent behind a user’s search.
Hummingbird employs semantic search principles, leveraging Google’s Knowledge Graph and other technologies to better comprehend the relationships and meanings behind the words in a search query.
This makes Hummingbird particularly effective at interpreting long-tail queries and conversational, natural language searches.