Aerodynamics of the hovering hummingbird (2024)

FAQs

What are the aerodynamics of a hummingbird? ›

Both hummingbirds and flying insects employ unsteady aerodynamics associated with their reciprocating wing movements, including stroke acceleration/deceleration, wing pitching and dynamic changes of the angle of attack, and wing reversal [2,3,6,7].

The hummingbird is the only bird that can truly hover. It manages this by flapping its wings 20 to 80 times a second.

Why Do Hummingbirds Hover? Hummingbirds have developed the ability to hover in order to feed on energy-rich nectar from flowers that other birds cannot reach. Hummingbirds' unique hovering abilities have inspired human innovations, such as tiny drones.

Hummingbirds have unique wing bones and muscles, allowing them to fly straight up, straight down, backwards, and forwards. And their wings flap so very fast (up to 200 beats per second in a display!) that they make a buzzing sound.

A hummingbird sweeps its wings mostly horizontally to hover. It rotates its wings in a figure-eight pattern which pushes air forward, backward and downward, generating lift force on both forward and back strokes of the wing.

Hummingbirds generally fly up to someone's face because they are curious or investigating a situation. They are extremely inquisitive about their surroundings and enforce caution and safety in their territory. They also recognize, associate, and expect food from a homeowner when trained to be fed at a feeder.

As the tiny birds move from flower to flower, they appear to almost levitate—hovering in mid-air, practically motionless except for their blur of wings beating more than 40 times per second.

About 340 species exist in the wild, from teeny-tiny bee hummingbirds—the world's smallest bird—to fiery-throated hummingbirds with their rainbow hues. Hummers are the only birds that can truly hover, and they can fly in any direction they choose—upside down, backward, forward, up and down.

Hummingbirds generally fly up to someone's face because they are curious or investigating a situation. They are extremely inquisitive about their surroundings and enforce caution and safety in their territory. They also recognize, associate, and expect food from a homeowner when trained to be fed at a feeder.

Hummingbirds flap their wings from about 10 to more than 80 times per second while hovering. They flap their wings even faster during the courtship display dives used by the males of some species. Moreover, hummingbirds can fly very fast, routinely attaining speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour.

What is unique about hummingbirds flight? ›

Flight: Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly both forward and backwards. They can also hover in mid-air, fly sideways and even upside-down. Wings: A hummingbird's wings beat about 70 times per second (200 times per second when diving!)

Theodore Zenzal and his research colleagues at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg have calculated the flying power of ruby-throated hummingbirds using a computer model. They have found that male hummingbirds can travel more than 1,300 miles (about 2,200 kilometers) without taking a single break.

Hummingbirds are the fastest animals on Earth, relative to their body size. They can cover more body lengths per second than any other vertebrate and for their size can even outpace fighter jets and the space shuttle – while withstanding g-forces that would make a fighter pilot black out.

Basic mechanics of bird flight

The fundamentals of bird flight are similar to those of aircraft, in which the aerodynamic forces sustaining flight are lift, drag, and thrust. Lift force is produced by the action of air flow on the wing, which is an airfoil.

As the wing twists, and as the outer part of the wing moves downward, the aerodynamic force is directed forward and the wing produces thrust. During the upstroke, the outer part of the wing must return with as minimum drag as possible, usually with zero angle of attack.

Like other flying animals that propel themselves, birds sustain level flight by generating net aerodynamic forces with their flapping wings that balance gravity and body drag.

A scientist has caught a hummingbird hitting a top speed twice that of the fastest fighter jet – at least relatively. The Anna's hummingbird, now believed to be the fastest bird in the world relative to its size, can reach speeds of 50mph, or nearly 385 body lengths per second.