1Masters of the Air
Hummingbirds are some of the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom because they possess a type of flight that no other bird can match. While most birds are limited to moving forward or gliding, hummingbirds are like tiny, feathered helicopters. They are found mostly in North and South America and are so light that some species weigh less than a nickel! This small size allows them to be incredibly agile, darting between flowers with a speed that makes them look like a blur of beautiful, shimmering color.
2The Power of the Figure-Eight
The secret to their gravity-defying movement is in their shoulders. Most birds have wings that only move up and down, but a hummingbird has a unique ball-and-socket joint at the shoulder that allows the wing to rotate 180 degrees. As they fly, their wings trace a figure-eight pattern in the air. This movement is special because it generates lift on both the forward and backward strokes. Because they are constantly pushing against the air, they can stay perfectly still in one spot to sip nectar or even fly backwards to back out of a flower once they are finished.
3Fueling a Tiny Engine
Flying like an acrobat requires an unbelievable amount of energy. To power those wings, which can beat up to 200 times per second during a fast dive, a hummingbird's heart must work overtime, reaching 1,200 beats per minute! To keep this engine running, they have to eat constantly, visiting between 1,000 and 2,000 flowers every single day to drink sugary nectar. When the sun goes down, they enter a deep sleep state called torpor, where they slow their metabolism way down to save energy for the next day's busy flight schedule.
