How fast do hummingbirds fly ? Do they fly backwards also ?

Karen W. · « **on:** 03/01/2007 00:27:13 »

Just curious thats all!! Do They turn quickly and fly or do they actually fly backwards? How fast also?

neilep · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/01/2007 02:11:06 »

Yep, hummingbirds I believe are the only birds that can in fact fly backwards.....I have no idea how fast they fly...not very fast I would have thought...(unless you put a rocket up it's bot bot)

Karen W. · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/01/2007 02:16:01 »

SIR How did your post get ahead of me original post! EH?? UH OH I changed my profile I bet thats it!

Karen W. · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/01/2007 02:22:19 »

OK, they do fly backwards then.. Their wings are moving so fast I would think that has something to do with their ability to hover don't you think!

neilep · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/01/2007 02:54:09 »

Quote from: Karen W. on 03/01/2007 02:22:19

OK, they do fly backwards then.. Their wings are moving so fast I would think that has something to do with their ability to hover don't you think!

Absolutely...hovering is the key here.....I wonder if they have a little noise that come on when they reverse like lorries do ..you know..."Beep Beep Warning Humming Bird Reversing " ...to warn butterflies and stuff [

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ukmicky · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/01/2007 03:19:48 »

Can't the kestrel fly backwards and hover as well.

Karen W. · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/01/2007 03:22:11 »

LOL BACKUP WARNING... LOL I need one of those at school with 30 kids under foot, I swear there have been times when I really needed backup warnings attatched to me as I moved around the room! LOL

I don't think I have ever seen a kestrel!

ukmicky · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/01/2007 03:30:27 »

you have now

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Karen W. · « **Reply #8 on:** 03/01/2007 03:59:55 »

Wow That is quite a beautiful bird!! Wow!! He looks huge are they nocturnal or not! What an amazing looking bird!!

neilep · « **Reply #9 on:** 03/01/2007 04:26:25 »

Quote from: ukmicky on 03/01/2007 03:30:27

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They are beautiful aren't they ?...I see them often hovering around motorways/Highways.

Michael, I am sure the Kestrel appears to move back because it is pushed by the wind...whereas the humming bird can actually engage a 'reverse ' mode so to speak...!!

Karen W. · « **Reply #10 on:** 03/01/2007 04:31:49 »

That is interesting..How wide do you think their wing span is?

neilep · « **Reply #11 on:** 03/01/2007 04:35:21 »

Quote from: Karen W. on 03/01/2007 04:31:49

That is interesting..How wide do you think their wing span is?

They average about twenty meters !

Karen W. · « **Reply #12 on:** 03/01/2007 04:43:25 »

Twenty meters? I need to find the conversion! LOL That about 6ft or what?

neilep · « **Reply #13 on:** 03/01/2007 06:12:28 »

LOL....just jesting mam....if they were really twenty metres that would make their wingspan over 60 feet..LOL

I just copied and pasted this from wiki for you mam:

Kestrels measure 34-38 cm from head to tail, with a wingspan of 70-80 cm. The average adult male weighs about 155 g, and the female weighs about 190 g

Karen W. · « **Reply #14 on:** 03/01/2007 06:16:10 »

WOW THANKS Sir.. Hard night for sleep eh?

neilep · « **Reply #15 on:** 03/01/2007 06:20:34 »

Quote from: Karen W. on 03/01/2007 06:16:10

WOW THANKS Sir.. Hard night for sleep eh?

I never get to sleep before 10am nowadays..

I really hope we get a definitive answer for you Mam

Karen W. · « **Reply #16 on:** 03/01/2007 06:27:20 »

I am sorry about the sleep. Wish it were not so!

IThanks for the wikiup post!

neilep · « **Reply #17 on:** 03/01/2007 06:28:05 »

found this

Q. What is unusual about a hummingbird's flying?

A. They can fly backwards and upside down and to hover. Few other birds can do any of these things, and none as successfully as the hummingbird.

from here http://www.learner.org/jnorth/search/HummerNotes1.html

There are quite a few HummingBird sites... http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-19,GGGL:en&q=+hummingbirds

Karen W. · « **Reply #18 on:** 03/01/2007 06:33:56 »

Wings beat from 75 beats per second and up 200 times per second!! wow!
Did you see all the different kinds? THank you Sir.. Very nice!

Karen W. · « **Reply #19 on:** 03/01/2007 06:35:42 »

I love Humming birds they are beautiful little birds.. they are always getting in the house here and stranded in my skylight!

How fast do hummingbirds fly ? Do they fly backwards also ?

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