Tackling the shortcomings of slow convergence, imprecision, and entrapment in local optima inherent in traditional meta-heuristic algorithms, this study presents the enhanced artificial hummingbird algorithm with chaotic traversal flight (CEAHA), which employs chaotic ergodicity within the foundational framework of the conventional artificial hummingbird algorithm. This approach implements chaotic motion within local regions of the solution space, ensuring a thorough exploration of potential optima and preventing algorithmic stagnation at local maxima by guaranteeing a non-repetitive traversal of all search states. This study also analyzes the intrinsic mechanisms by which eight different chaotic mappings affect optimization performance, from the perspectives of invariant measures and traversal efficiency of ergodic chaotic motion. In comparative tests with 21 meta-heuristic algorithms on the CEC2014, CEC2019, and CEC2022 benchmark suites across various dimensions, CEAHA demonstrates superior optimization performance. Furthermore, the practicability and robustness of CEAHA have been confirmed in mechanical design optimization problems through 4 engineering instances: pressure vessel, gear trains, speed reducers, and piston levers.