Close Menu
Discover How Hummingbirds Navigate Through Tight Spaces
All

Discover how hummingbirds navigate through tight spaces

Hummingbird wings are truly incredible. They have the ability to flap their wings numerous times per second and maneuver in ways that seem impossible, such as flying upside down or backwards. Despite these amazing capabilities, there is one significant limitation to their wings: they cannot bend like other birds, making it seemingly impossible for them to squeeze through narrow gaps narrower than the width of their wingspan. However, somehow they manage to do so.

A recent study on Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte Anna) has shed light on this remarkable ability. The discovery was described as a surprising revelation by Robert Dudley, a physiologist at the University of California, Berkeley. The findings were shared in the Journal of Experimental Biology on November 9th.

A hummingbird flies around in a narrow space. Written by Maria Temming. Illustrations by Joanna Wendell. Image: A hummingbird with a magenta head, white body, and parts of its wings and tail is green as it flies over a field of purple lavender flowers under a blue sky.
Hummingbirds are little acrobats. You can also fly backwards or upside down. Image: Two hummingbirds are flying in the blue sky against the backdrop of tree branches. A single hummingbird with magenta, green and white wings is flying upside down. He looks up at another hummingbird with green and white wings and says,
Hammers can do a lot of tricks, but one thing they can't do is bend their wings when they fly. This allows other birds to squeeze through tight spaces. Image: A pigeon flies between forked tree branches with its wings folded close to its body. A
To find out, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley trained four Hummers to fly between two feeders in an arena. Image: Diagram showing the layout of the two-room arena. In the front room, a hummingbird drinks from a fake yellow flower on the wall. The hummingbird says,
High-speed camera footage showed the bird initially flapping its wings as it flew sideways through the gap. Image (above): A side view of a hummingbird showing it flying sideways across a gap with its left wing forward and right wing rearward. A hummingbird flies across the gap and says,
This method allows the hummingbird to quickly backtrack if it encounters an obstacle and wants to change its route. Image: A hummingbird attempts to drift sideways between the forked branches, but on the other side there is a dense bush of pink flowers that it cannot pass through. The hummingbird says,
However, after passing through the gap several times, the bird learned to flatten the wings against the body. And they shot through the hole like a bullet. Image (above): A side view of a hummingbird shows it running through a gap with its wings attached to its body, saying,
Joanna Wendell

Have a science question? We can help!

Submit your question here – I might answer that in the next issue of Science News Explores

Source: www.snexplores.org

Share.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply