Visitors 44
Modified 21-Mar-26
Created 20-Mar-26
19 photos
Hummingbirds are masters of flight. Kites, kestrels, and phoebes can hover motionless in air, though none so smoothly as hummingbird. But what other bird can fly backwards? Only the hummingbird. They accomplish this by rowing air, moving their wings in a figure-eight pattern. No bird in Asia, Africa, or Europe can do this.
Hummingbirds’ short tails can spread mid-air, offering aerodynamic control – useful for chasing insects and snatching them out of air.
Hummingbirds’ agile flight is useful for hunting insects. Such quick amazing flight (and good eyesight and control) lets them get a majority of their nourishment, and all of their (necessary) protein, from insects – despite having a beak exquisitely evolved for gathering nectar from flowers. (Some hummingbirds even have specialized beaks, “designed” [co-evolved] to gather nectar from specific flowers.)
Hummingbirds’ short tails can spread mid-air, offering aerodynamic control – useful for chasing insects and snatching them out of air.
Hummingbirds’ agile flight is useful for hunting insects. Such quick amazing flight (and good eyesight and control) lets them get a majority of their nourishment, and all of their (necessary) protein, from insects – despite having a beak exquisitely evolved for gathering nectar from flowers. (Some hummingbirds even have specialized beaks, “designed” [co-evolved] to gather nectar from specific flowers.)
Dan Quinn