There is only bird that can fly backwards

There’s only one kind of bird in the whole world that can fly backwards. They can not only fly backwards, but they can also fly side-to-side, hover in place, and even fly upside down! They can accomplish this amazing feat because their wings are different from all other birds. Can you guess what it is? If you said a hummingbird, you’re right!

So what’s special about humming birds?

Most birds have wings that bend in the middle. They have strong muscles to pull their wings down, but smaller weak muscles to pull their wings back up. Hummingbirds, on the other hand, have very strong flight muscles – they make up a quarter of the bird’s weight! Their wings are kept straight when they fly, and they move their wings in a figure eight. They also flap much faster than most birds – between 50 to 200 strokes every second! When they do that they make a humming sound and hence the name humming bird.

It takes a lot of energy to power that kind of flight, so the hummingbird eats a lot. It will eat every 15 to 20 minutes, and in one day it eats twice its body weight. That’s 75 times as much food as humans need in a day! They get most of their energy from flower nectar, and from small insects and spiders that live around the flowers.

Because they have to stop eating at night, hummingbirds eat a lot just after the sun rises. So if you’re ever outside very early, try sitting very still near some flowers and listening for a high-pitched hum. It just might be a hummingbird looking for its breakfast!