Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures known for their ability to hover and fly backwards. Their wings can beat up to 80 times per second, allowing them to fly at speeds over 30 mph. But what would happen if a hummingbird stopped flying altogether? Can a hummingbird survive if it stops flying?
Quick Answers
Hummingbirds cannot survive if they stop flying for too long. They have extremely high metabolisms and must consume a lot of energy to power their rapid wing beats and flight muscles. If a hummingbird stops flying, it can quickly become exhausted and starve. However, hummingbirds can survive short periods of rest, as they do at night when they go into a hibernation-like state called torpor.
Why Hummingbirds Cannot Stop Flying
Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of all animals relative to their size. Their hearts beat up to 1,260 times per minute and they take around 250 breaths per minute, even at rest. This rapid metabolism requires a huge amount of energy to sustain. Hummingbirds consume up to twice their body weight in nectar each day just to meet their energy needs.
Powering flight requires even more energy. Hummingbird flight muscles make up 25-30% of their total body weight. To hover, their flight muscles must contract and relax around 70 times per second. This rapid muscle usage requires a lot of oxygen and energy. To meet these demands, hummingbirds have proportionally larger hearts and higher breathing rates while flying.
With such a high metabolism and energy demand for flight, hummingbirds can quickly become exhausted if they cannot feed. Their small size means they have a limited amount of energy reserves. Most hummingbird species need to feed every 10-15 minutes throughout the day to avoid starvation.
If a hummingbird were to stop flying altogether, its flight muscles would quickly fatigue and it would become exhausted without frequent feeding. A hummingbird’s heart rate would slow down without the energy demands of flight, but it would still need to consume a high amount of calories constantly. Without flying to forage for food, a hummingbird would die within a few hours to a couple days.
Short Term Rest
Hummingbirds can survive short periods of rest when they are not flying. During the night when they sleep, hummingbirds go into torpor to conserve energy.
Torpor is a hibernation-like state where their metabolic rate and energy requirements are lowered dramatically. Their heart rate drops to around 50-180 beats per minute and their breathing also slows. Body temperature falls as well. This allows hummingbirds to survive overnight or periods of food shortage when they cannot actively feed.
Torpor is not the same as full hibernation, as hummingbirds only stay in this state for short periods. But entering torpor does allow them to rest and suspend their high metabolic processes to conserve energy when needed. This is how hummingbirds can survive short term fasting or lack of flight.
Other Considerations
There are a few other factors to consider when looking at hummingbird flight and metabolism:
- Molting – Hummingbirds undergo an energy-intensive molting process each year to replace their feathers. During this time their metabolism is raised by about 25%. They may not be able to survive missing usual feedings during molting.
- Cold exposure – Hummingbirds are sensitive to cold due to their small size and high surface area relative to volume. If they stop flying and become inactive, they lose body heat rapidly. This can accelerate exhaustion and starvation.
- Injury or illness – Any injury or illness that prevents flight can be life-threatening. Hummingbirds need to be active and flying to meet their high metabolic demands.
- Age – Very young and very old hummingbirds may be weaker flyers or less efficient at feeding. They may be less able to withstand long fasting or rest periods.
Survival Tips for Grounded Hummingbirds
If you find a grounded hummingbird that is unable to fly, here are some tips for giving it the best chance of survival:
- Provide immediate sugar / energy source – Make an emergency nectar solution of 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar. Provide in a shallow container or hummingbird feeder.
- Keep the bird warm – Place in a ventilated box lined with soft cloth in a warm, dark, quiet space.
- Avoid stress and excessive handling – Keep contact minimal to avoid stress and elevated heart rate.
- Allow rest / torpor – Torpor is essential to conserve energy if the bird cannot feed.
- Contact a wildlife rehabilitator – They may be able to provide supportive care and release the bird once it can fly again.
With prompt emergency care and minimal handling, some grounded hummingbirds can fully recover after a day or two of rest if their injury or condition is temporary. But hummingbirds cannot survive more than a few days without flying and accessing food on their own in the wild.
Unique Adaptations for Flight
Hummingbirds have many unique evolutionary adaptations that allow them to fly and hover so efficiently:
- Lightweight skeleton and organs
- Small body size and weight relative to wingspan
- Rotating wrist joints allow wings to beat in a figure 8 pattern
- Rapid muscle contractions for wing beats
- Large breast muscles up to 25-30% of body weight
- Forward-facing shoulders provide stability and maneuverability
- Hollow, fragile bones
- Large heart and breathing capacity relative to body size
- High red blood cell count to deliver oxygen
- High metabolism even at rest
- Ability to switch to torpor to conserve energy
All of these specializations allow hummingbirds to meet the metabolic demands of sustained hovering flight. Without flying, however, these high energy adaptations quickly become an extreme vulnerability.
Why Flying is Essential
In summary, flying is absolutely essential to hummingbird survival for the following reasons:
- Extremely high metabolism with rapid heart rate and breathing
- Need to consume up to 2 times body weight in nectar daily
- High energy demand to power rapid wing beats for flight
- Inability to store significant fat or energy reserves
- Sensitive to cold exposure and rapid heat loss when inactive
- Dependence on torpor only for short-term survival during rest
Hummingbirds are specially adapted for sustained hovering flight. Without flying, they quickly become exhausted and are unable to access enough food to fuel their metabolisms. While they can enter torpor overnight, they cannot survive more than a few days grounded and inactive. Flying is an absolute necessity for hummingbird survival in the wild.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds have extremely high metabolisms and energy needs adapted for flight. They cannot realistically survive more than a few hours to days if they become unable to fly or feed themselves. Their rapid breathing, heart rate, and muscle usage requires constant energy intake. Short term fasting or rest is only possible through torpor, a temporary hibernation-like state. But grounded hummingbirds will sadly die within about 1-2 days without supportive care and the ability to fly again soon. Flying is simply essential to a hummingbird’s survival in the wild.
