The fastest wing flapping bird in the world is the hummingbird. Hummingbirds are able to beat their wings up to 80 times per second, which allows them to hover in midair, fly backwards, and reach top speeds of over 90 km/hr during courtship dives.
Why Do Hummingbirds Flap Their Wings So Fast?
Hummingbirds flap their wings incredibly fast for a few key reasons:
- Small size – Hummingbirds are the smallest birds, with most species only 2-8 inches long. Their tiny size requires rapid flapping to generate enough lift to hover and fly.
- High metabolism – Hummingbirds have ultra high metabolisms and heart rates to support their energy needs. Their heart rate can reach over 1,200 beats per minute during flight.
- Maneuverability – The fast wing beating allows hummingbirds to quickly change directions midair and stabilize their position while drinking nectar from flowers.
- Courtship displays – During mating dives, male hummingbirds max out their wing speed to produce sound patterns that attract females.
Wing Anatomy Maximizes Speed
Hummingbirds have anatomical adaptations that enable their wings to flap at blurring speeds:
- Short and narrow wings – The shorter wing length and lower surface area reduces drag and allows quicker flapping.
- Lightweight bones – Their hollow, minimalist arm and hand bones are very lightweight to minimize inertia.
- Enlarged chest muscles – Up to 30% of their total muscle mass is in the chest to power wing movement.
- Rotating shoulders – Their shoulder joints can rotate almost 360 degrees for full wing articulation.
Other Fastest Bird Wings
While hummingbirds take the top spot for wing flapping speed, here are some other birds with incredibly fast-moving wings:
| Bird | Wing beat rate (flaps/second) |
|---|---|
| Chimney swift | 36 flaps/second |
| Woodpecker | 20 flaps/second |
| Eurasian hobby | 19 flaps/second |
As you can see, the hummingbird blows away the competition when it comes to wing speed. Even the chimney swift, the next fastest bird, can only reach about half the flapping rate of a hummingbird.
Flight Speeds and Maneuverability
The blazing fast wing beats allow hummingbirds to display incredible aerial capabilities:
- Hovering – They can precisely hover in place by beating their wings up to 80 times per second.
- Backwards flight – Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards by rotating their wings.
- Acceleration – From a standstill, they can accelerate up to 60 mph in under a second.
- Maneuverability – They have unrivaled precision and control in flight, darting sideways, up, down, back and forth.
This maneuverability gives hummingbirds a key advantage when feeding on nectar from flowers, engaging in aerial courtship dances, and evading predators.
Highest Recorded Wing Beat Rates
Here are some of the highest wing flapping rates ever directly recorded in hummingbirds:
| Hummingbird Species | Wing beat rate (flaps/second) |
|---|---|
| Blue-throated hummingbird | 105 flaps/second |
| Rufous hummingbird | 92 flaps/second |
| Allen’s hummingbird | 90 flaps/second |
As these recordings show, some hummingbird species can reach over 100 flaps per second during certain flight modes. Additional analysis indicates they likely max out around 200 flaps per second during courtship dives.
Why So Fast?
For their tiny size, hummingbirds have disproportionately large energy needs. Here’s why they have evolved such blistering wing speed and maneuverability:
- Hover feeding – Flapping wings up to 130 times per second enables precise hovering as they drink nectar.
- Fight or flight – Their speed helps them escape predators and aggressively defend territory and flowers.
- Mating displays – The males perform complex dives and patterns to show off wing speed and sound to attract mates.
- Migration – Some species migrate thousands of miles, needing speed and endurance.
Slow Motion Hummingbird Wings
High speed cameras have provided incredible slow motion footage revealing the intricacies of hummingbird wings in motion. Here are some cool things shown:
- At slow speed, the figure 8 motion of the wings is clearly visible.
- The wings bend and rotate to maximize lift on both the upstroke and downstroke.
- The wings fold back impressively at the end of each up and down flapping motion.
- The wingtips trace wide ovals in the air to generate substantial lift forces.
Studying slow motion hummingbird footage lets scientists understand exactly how the wings produce sufficient lift for sustained hovering and rapid acceleration.
World’s Smallest Bird
Amazingly, the world’s smallest bird is also a hummingbird species. Here are some facts about the bee hummingbird:
- The bee hummingbird averages just 2 inches long and 2 grams in weight.
- Native to Cuba, it’s the world’s tiniest bird and one of the smallest warm blooded animals.
- With a 2.4 inch wingspan, it can flap its tiny wings up to 80 times per second.
- Despite its size, it aggressively defends flower patches from intruders.
- Both the male and female bee hummingbird have colorful, iridescent throat feathers.
For its miniscule size, the bee hummingbird has astounding speed and aerial agility powered by the fastest flapping wings in the bird world.
Conclusion
In summary, hummingbirds are unmatched in their wing flapping speed and aerial maneuverability. They can beat their wings up to 80 times per second to hover, fly in any direction, and accelerate rapidly. Underlying adaptations like short wings, enlarged chest muscles, and rotational shoulders enable this performance. Extreme speed grants hummingbirds key advantages in feeding, courtship, territoriality, and predator evasion. High speed footage provides insights into the figure 8 motion and articulation that let hummingbird wings operate at such blistering velocities. So next time you see a blur of iridescent green or ruby red zoom by, know that you are witnessing some of the fastest flapping wings on the planet!
