How Fast Do Hummingbirds Fly? You Would Be Surprised

Only insects like fleas can match hummingbirds’ remarkable size-to-speed ratios in relation to their body size. Hummingbirds are among the quickest creatures in the natural world. However, how can these little birds achieve such high speeds, and what is a hummingbird’s maximum speed?

Please continue reading to find out more about the amazing adaptations of hummingbirds and how they manage to travel at such remarkable rates.

All hummingbird species travel at an average speed of around 42 km/h (26 mph). Nevertheless, during their spectacular airborne courting displays, some species, like the male Anna’s Hummingbird, may achieve a maximum velocity of up to 97 km/h (60 mph).

Hummingbirds can perform intricate and prolonged acrobatic flight, including as hovering, flying backward, and upside-down, because to their very quick metabolism. It is an incredible accomplishment for such little birds to complete migrations over such vast distances, but upon closer examination, the hummingbirds’ real flying talents are even more astounding.

Thus, how do hummingbirds fuel their energy-intensive flights and how can they reach such incredible speeds? Continue reading as we examine in detail one of the natural world’s most nimble aviators.

An Overview of Hummingbird Speed

What Is a Hummingbird’s Average Flight Speed?

Hummingbirds fly at around 42 km/h (26 mph) on average. Such speeds are not always necessary; for instance, a more leisurely pace of 3 km/h (2 mph) is more normal while travelling from flower to flower. In quest of essential nectar supplies, they travel great distances at relatively low heights on a regular basis—up to 37 km (23 mi) each day.

Do Hummingbirds Travel at the Same Velocity?

Not every species of hummingbird can fly for prolonged periods of time at the highest speeds ever recorded by the fastest, the Anna’s Hummingbird.

Additionally, there is some variation in the average number of wingbeats per second among hummingbird species. The Amethyst Wood Hummingbird has wingbeats of 80 beats per second, while Giant Hummingbirds flap their wings between 10 and 15 times per second, which is at the lower end of the scale.

A giant hummingbird is seen. Hummingbirds fly at an average speed of around 42 km/h (26 mph).

Breaking Records: The Hummingbird of Anna

Which Hummingbird Species Is the Fastest?

As part of their courting rituals, male Anna’s Hummingbirds do amazing high-speed dives, outperforming space shuttles and fighter planes in terms of velocity relative to body size. With the aim of impressing prospective female mates, they perform diving dives up to 27.3 m (89.6 ft) per second, interspersed with a sequence of swooping and soaring flights.

In this setting, a male Anna’s Hummingbird dives at a speed of 385 body lengths per second (blps). This is comparable to other birds that are known for being very fast flyers, such as the Peregrine Falcon, which can fly up to 200 mph, or the Swallow, which can fly up to 350 mph during its swooping flight.

Why can hummingbirds fly so quickly?

One important component of hummingbirds’ anatomy—their wings—allows them to fly at very high speeds. Hummingbirds’ flight patterns may resemble those of insects more so than those of most other bird species.

When in flight, hummingbirds can spin their propeller-shaped wings on the upstroke, causing them to twist 140 degrees in a figure-of-eight pattern. Unlike ordinary bird flight, which produces lift only on the downstroke, this twisting action of each wingbeat also produces lift on the upstroke. And as a result, the enormous number of beats per second causes unmatched flying speeds.

Hummingbirds can adjust the pace of their wingbeats to take advantage of wind speeds and fly even faster. Their wings beat at an average speed of around 50 beats per second. They are very aerodynamic, creating less resistance and drag against the air when in flight, thanks to their streamlined body form, extended wings, and small size.

When compared to other bird species, hummingbirds have far stronger flying muscles relative to their body size. Because each wingbeat produces greater power, they can fly further and faster for longer periods of time.

A pair of hillstars with rufous gaps are shown. Hummingbird flight patterns may resemble insect flight patterns more than those of most other bird species.

The Hummingbird Metabolism: The Power Underpinning the Speed

What makes hummingbirds fly so quickly?

Hummingbirds seldom land, in contrast to other bigger, less nimble bird species, and their legs and feet are especially useless since they are not made for strolling or perching while searching for food.

Their ability to fly quickly is crucial because it allows them to avoid predators and move between flowers to gather energy for their very quick metabolism. Hummingbirds can travel great distances between their feeding sites because to their fast flight, which gives them access to an abundance of insects and nectar that they need to eat every day in order to survive.

How much food must hummingbirds consume?

Due to their very high metabolic rate, hummingbirds must consume continuously throughout the day in order to survive.

They visit up to 2,000 blooms a day and consume around half their body weight on bugs and nectar. To keep their energy levels high enough to support their fast wingbeats and hovering flight, they must feed every ten to fifteen minutes.

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird is seen. About half of a hummingbird’s body weight is made up of insects and nectar.

Mechanisms of Flight: Beyond Velocity

What Particular Qualities Does Hummingbird Flight Have?

Hummingbirds’ unique wing structure allows them to move more than just up and down with each wingbeat; it allows them to twist the “wrist” of their wings.

Hummingbirds can do acrobatic feats like darting from bloom to flower in quest of nectar, hovering for extended periods of time in one location, and reversing direction by flying backward rather than landing and taking off by inverting their wings and beating their wings at a speed of up to 80 beats per second.

Can a hummingbird fly in reverse?

The only birds that can fly backward for prolonged periods of time are hummingbirds. They do this by rapidly beating their wings and twisting their spread wings to shift direction as they visit blossom after flower.

The capacity to “reverse” before going on to the next eating place is a crucial adaption of birds in this family, since hummingbirds need to be able to travel between nectar sources without temporarily landing, unlike other bird species that feed on plants.

Are hummingbirds able to fly inverted?

Hummingbirds are perhaps the most skilled acrobats in the bird kingdom. They can actually fly upside down for limited periods of time, breaking all known rules about conventional bird flying.

FAQs

How long until they stop flying, hummingbirds?

Hummingbirds have been seen to travel great distances—up to 2200 km (1300 mi)—without stopping. Not all long migrations are continuous; many of them include brief stops that last a few days. On the other hand, migration across seas is not unusual in situations when more than a thousand kilometres are travelled nonstop.

Can you fly a hummingbird in the rain?

Because of their water-repellent plumage, hummingbirds can fly through light to moderate rain without experiencing any negative consequences. They may even continue to eat and fly normally in somewhat damp settings.

Hummingbirds need to adjust in order to try to continue flying and eating on a regular basis during times of extended rains because of their very high metabolism, which makes it impossible for them to live for very long without food. Hummingbirds may continue to fly under heavy rain by trembling their bodies, lowering their body posture, and accelerating their wingbeats.

A Ruby Topaz Hummingbird is seen. Hummingbirds have been seen to travel great distances—up to 2200 km (1300 mi)—without stopping.

How far are hummingbirds able to fly?

Hummingbirds can live and even flourish at high elevations where oxygen is scarce, which may surprise you given their rapid metabolic rate and average heart rate of up to 1260 beats per minute.

The Giant Hummingbird is a native of the Andes, inhabiting elevations of up to 4,000 metres (14,000 feet). They often soar as high as 150 metres (500 feet) above the earth during their migratory trips.

Hummingbirds beat their wings at what speed?

During typical flight, hummingbirds typically beat their wings 53 times per second on average each minute. The Amethyst Woodstar Hummingbird has the fastest known wingbeat rate, at 80 beats per second, whereas larger species, such the Giant Hummingbird, flap their wings between 10 and 15 times per second.

Are the wings of hummingbirds the fastest?

It’s interesting to note that these little hovering birds have ties to the fastest known wingbeat in nature, which is not really that of a hummingbird. With wingbeat speeds of up to 85 beats per second, the Hummingbird Hawk-moth imitates hummingbird flight patterns very closely.

Do hummingbirds move more quickly than dragonflies?

Hummingbirds vs. dragonflies is one of the closest races in nature. Hummingbirds have been known to reach speeds of 50 km/h (30 mi/h) in straight flight, while dragonflies are usually bigger and more powerful, reaching up to 55 km/h (35 mi/h).

Can a hummingbird outrun a cheetah in speed?

Hummingbirds can only go as fast as half of the cheetah’s maximum speed of 112 km/h (70 mph), making the cheetah a worthy contender for the title of fastest animal alive. In terms of length relative to body size, cheetahs can move 16 body lengths per second, but hummingbirds can move an astounding 385 body lengths per second.