Why are hummingbirds the only bird that can fly backwards?

zbeckabee

Why, indeed. A hummingbird can rotate each of its wings in a circle, allowing them to be the only bird which can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways or sit in sheer space. To hover, hummingbirds move their wings forward and backward in a repeated figure eight, much like the arms of a swimmer treading water. Hummingbirds can move instantaneously in any direction, start from its perch at full speed, and doesn't necessarily slow up to land. Hummingbirds can even fly short distances upside down, a trick rollover they employ when being attacked by another bird. http://www.humming-birds.com/facts.html Dec 06 06, 8:20 PM

skysmom65

Glad you included the upside down fact Zbeck...that was something I never knew! Dec 06 06, 8:44 PM

queproblema

Me being picky again, skysmom--- WHY are hummingbirds the only bird that can fly backwards? Because they are the only birds designed to, i.e., possessing the amazing features and abilities zbeck describes, or rather, that "Hummingbirds Forever" describes. She told us HOW, not WHY. (I wouldn't use capital letters if there were a way to italicize.) My bottom line: nobody knows why of some 10,000 living bird species only the hummingbird can fly backwards. Dec 06 06, 11:50 PM

zbeckabee

Boy...this is starting to sound a bit like Journalism 101...Who, what, when, where, why and how. Dec 07 06, 1:07 AM

Baloo55th

Possibly because they are the only birds that need to. Not many birds stick very long beaks into long flowers without having a twig to perch on. It would have started with a slight ability to reverse giving an extra food source to the 'freak' that could do it, and thus a possible advantage in the breeding stakes. Similarly the longer the beak (up to a limit) would confer advantages in feeding. Dec 07 06, 5:46 AM