Hummingbirds are amazing creatures known for their incredibly fast wing beats and their ability to hover in midair as they feed on flower nectar. Their wings move so quickly that they are nearly invisible to the naked human eye, appearing only as a blur. But just how fast do hummingbird wings beat? What is the frequency or number of wing beats per second that allows hummingbirds to fly and hover with such agility?
The Incredible Speed of Hummingbird Wings
Research has found that different hummingbird species have different wing beat frequencies depending on their size. The smaller the hummingbird, the faster its wings must flap to support its weight and produce the lift needed for flight and hovering. For example, the Calliope Hummingbird, one of the smallest hummingbird species at just 2-3 inches long, has an average wing beat frequency of 80 beats per second. That’s an astonishing 4,800 beats per minute! On the larger end, the 8-inch long Giant Hummingbird beats its wings around 12 times per second or 720 beats per minute.
Most hummingbird species, like the 3-4 inch Ruby-Throated Hummingbird common in North America, have wing beat frequencies somewhere in the middle, averaging around 50 beats per second or 3,000 beats per minute. That’s more than 50 times per second or 3,000 times per minute of their wings rotating in a figure 8 pattern to provide the lift and thrust to keep their tiny bodies airborne.
To put the speed of hummingbird wings into perspective, the average human heart beats about 60-100 times per minute at rest. Hummingbird wings flap at rates between a whopping 720 and 4,800 beats per minute, with most species beating their wings around 3,000 times per minute, making them some of the fastest moving creatures on Earth.
Factors That Allow Hummingbirds to Flap Their Wings So Quickly
So how are hummingbirds physically able to move their wings so rapidly? There are several key evolutionary adaptations that allow for the incredibly fast wing strokes of hummingbirds:
- Lightweight skeletal structure – Hummingbird bones are hollow inside to minimize weight.
- Powerful breast muscles – Up to 35% of their total body weight is flight muscle concentrated in the chest/breast region.
- Reduced number of feathers – Hummingbirds have fewer feathers covering their wings to reduce aerodynamic drag.
- Wing shape – The flat, blunt shape of hummingbird wings provides stiffness and resistance to twisting or flexing during rapid flapping.
- Small body size – Smaller, lighter bodies require faster flapping to generate enough lift for flight.
By combining a lightweight body with a powerful chest muscle set and stiffer wings with fewer feathers, hummingbirds are biologically adapted to flap their wings incredibly quickly. These physical adaptations allow them to beat their wings up to a blazing fast 80 times per second!
Fastest Known Wing Beat Frequencies
While an average hummingbird flaps its wings around 50 times per second, some species have been documented beating their wings at even higher frequencies:
- Calliope Hummingbird – 80 beats per second
- Cuban Bee Hummingbird – 75 beats per second
- Blue-Throated Hummingbird – 70 beats per second
- Rufous Hummingbird – 60 beats per second
The Calliope Hummingbird is the current known record holder, with its tiny wings capable of beating a remarkable 80 times per second. That generates enough lift to hover and fly even with its extremely small body size of just 2-3 inches long and 2-3 grams in weight. The Cuban Bee Hummingbird can flap 75 times per second despite being smaller than a ping pong ball at around 2 inches long.
While most other hummingbird species max out at around 50 flaps per second, these smallest hummingbirds can reach up to 70-80 flaps per second. Their higher wing beat frequency allows them to support their very small, lightweight bodies in flight.
Wing Beat Frequency and Body Size
There is an inverse relationship between wing beat frequency and body size in hummingbirds. Smaller species flap their wings remarkably faster than larger hummingbird species:
| Hummingbird Species | Average Body Length | Average Weight | Average Wing Beat Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calliope Hummingbird | 2-3 inches | 2-3 grams | 80 beats/second |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | 3-4 inches | 3-4 grams | 53 beats/second |
| Rufous Hummingbird | 3-3.5 inches | 3-4 grams | 60 beats/second |
| Giant Hummingbird | 8 inches | 18-24 grams | 12 beats/second |
As this data shows, the smaller Calliope Hummingbird at just 2-3 inches long can beat its wings a remarkable 80 times per second. Comparatively, the much larger 8-inch Giant Hummingbird only flaps its more massive wings at around 12 beats per second.
The smaller a hummingbird species is, the fewer pounds of body weight its wings need to support in flight. Smaller wings beating at a faster rate can produce enough lift for a tiny hummingbird body. So the smallest hummingbirds flap their wings the fastest, while larger species beat their wings more slowly.
Hummingbird Hovering Ability
Hummingbirds are the only known birds able to truly hover in one place by rapidly flapping their wings in a figure 8 pattern. Hovering takes even more energy and wing speed than normal flight. While flapping at around 50 wing beats per second allows hummingbirds to fly, they must up their wing beat frequency to 60-80 flaps per second to generate enough lift and thrust to hover motionless in midair.
During hovering flight, the hummingbird’s wings rotate in a flattened figure 8 pattern with the wingtips tracing a narrow ellipse during each cycle. The downstroke generates lift while the upside down stroke provides horizontal thrust. By precisely controlling the angle of attack and pattern of the wing movement, hummingbirds can maintain a fixed position while feeding on flower nectar, even in gusty conditions.
This ability to stop and effortlessly hover sets hummingbirds apart from all other types of birds. The extremely high frequency wing flapping required for hovering can only be sustained in short bursts, however. Hummingbirds must rest and replenish their fast-burning energy after just seconds of hovering flight.
Slow Motion Hummingbird Wing Video
High speed slow motion video provides the best way to truly visualize just how rapidly hummingbird wings flap. Watching their wings in extreme slow motion allows us to better understand how hummingbirds are such agile, graceful fliers despite their tiny size:
The slow motion effect shows the hummingbird’s wings beating at an incredible speed as it maintains a fixed hover to feed. You can see the blur of motion as its wings swiftly rotate around the shoulder joint. The wingtips trace elongated ovals due to the flattened figure 8 flapping motion that provides the necessary lift and thrust to hover. Slowing down the video helps reveal just how rapidly hummingbirds can move their wings – fast enough to be nearly invisible to our eyes in real time.
Conclusion
In summary, hummingbird wing beat frequency varies by species but is remarkably fast across all types – ranging from around 12 to 80 flaps per second. The smallest Calliope Hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 80 times per second, while larger birds like the Giant Hummingbird flap more slowly at around 12 wing beats per second. There is an inverse relationship between body size and wing speed – the smaller the hummingbird, the faster its wings must flap to achieve flight. Exceptionally fast flapping enables hummingbirds to not just fly, but actually hover motionless in midair as they feed.
High speed video reveals that hummingbird wing tips trace blurred elongated ovals as they rapidly rotate around the shoulder joint during hovering. By flapping upwards of 80 times per second for the smallest species, hummingbirds possess one of the fastest repetitive bodily movements in nature. That astonishing wing speed is what enables such tiny birds to fly with unrivaled agility and precision.
