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Trinidad
Flying turbo midgets: researcher on the trail of the hummingbirds' secrets
A wing beat comparable with the power of a racing car: these air midgets flap their wings up to 4800 times a minute. They can fly backwards, hover in mid-air, and they have an extremely aggressive temper. The Carib Indians were so fascinated by the birds, they named Trinidad after them: "Lere" - the land of the hummingbirds. Dr. Floyd Heyes from the University of the West Indies has studied the secret behind these flying turbo midgets.
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"There are 17 different kinds hummingbirds in Trinidad and Tobago," the scientist explains. The tiny creatures, whose shimmering colours have nothing to do with pigmentation but – like with gemstones – are caused by optical refraction on the feathers, are highly sophisticated aerodynamic machines.
Their split-second counter-rotating wing beat makes them the only bird species capable of hovering in mid-air, as well as flying backwards and side wards. To do so they need a high-power motor.
The wing muscles make up a third of their bodies’ weight, and they run on octane-rich fuel: concentrated sugar solution found in the nectar of flowers which they fill up on using their long bills. The researcher explains that "hummingbirds basically need to feed constantly in order to keep their metabolism going".
Still, they don’t suffer from weight problems. Smaller species weigh just 3 to 4 grams. Which doesn’t keep them from driving away falcons or hawks – they seem to operate on the principle that speed kills. Dr. Hayes: "The only danger hummers face are hurricanes."
Their split-second counter-rotating wing beat makes them the only bird species capable of hovering in mid-air, as well as flying backwards and side wards. To do so they need a high-power motor.
The wing muscles make up a third of their bodies’ weight, and they run on octane-rich fuel: concentrated sugar solution found in the nectar of flowers which they fill up on using their long bills. The researcher explains that "hummingbirds basically need to feed constantly in order to keep their metabolism going".
Still, they don’t suffer from weight problems. Smaller species weigh just 3 to 4 grams. Which doesn’t keep them from driving away falcons or hawks – they seem to operate on the principle that speed kills. Dr. Hayes: "The only danger hummers face are hurricanes."