Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
DW (English)
  • 1/28/2025
Hummingbirds are acrobats of the air that owe their unique agility to anatomical peculiarities and a missing gene. This Tomorrow Today viewer question comes from Frederick B. in Ghana.
Transcript
00:00How come hummingbirds are able to fly backwards?
00:09Hummingbirds are acrobats of the air.
00:11They can fly forwards, sideways, backwards, and even hover in one spot.
00:16Other birds aren't nearly as agile.
00:19Their agility is partially down to their small body size, but above all it's made possible
00:24by some anatomical peculiarities.
00:28Hummingbirds have very flexible ball joints in their shoulders.
00:31In addition, the upper bones in their wings are very short and the ones that in us form
00:36hands are unusually long.
00:39This allows the little avians to move their wings in practically any direction.
00:44When hovering in the air delicately to sip nectar, they can beat around 80 times per
00:50second.
00:51That's what makes the hummingbirds hum.
00:55It resembles the way some insects fly.
01:00Other birds can also remain in one place in the air, but only for short periods.
01:05That's because no other form of locomotion in the animal kingdom consumes as much energy
01:10as hovering flight.
01:13The hummingbirds don't give it a second thought because their heart, lungs, and wing muscles
01:17are huge compared to their body size.
01:20But even more important is that they have faster metabolism than any other vertebrate.
01:25Their high energy requirements are met by the sweet nectar they consume, which they're
01:30also able to absorb very quickly.
01:34Hummingbirds have highly reactive enzymes that allow them to break down both fructose
01:39and glucose at the same fast rates, something humans and other animals can't do.
01:45One study looked at how this ability affects the flight muscles.
01:50Scientists sequenced genomes from different hummingbirds and compared them with those
01:54from other bird species.
01:56The results showed that all hummingbirds lack a certain gene.
02:00Experiments on muscle cells allowed scientists to reconstruct what it does, and they discovered
02:06that its absence improves the metabolism of sugar.
02:10The gene also causes the activity and number of mitochondria to rise in the muscle cells.
02:18Mitochondria are called cellular power plants because they play a key role in energy production.
02:24So hummingbirds owe their flying skills to both their physique and their genes.

Recommended

1:27
Up next
How do frigatebirds find their mates?
Brut America
3/25/2025
2:11
How do planes take off and remain airborne?
DW (English)
6/21/2024
2:43
Under-fire Thai government to push ahead with cabinet reshuffle
The Star
yesterday
1:48
Court sets Aug 1 for graft case mention involving Hamzah's ex-aide
The Star
yesterday
1:44
Na'imah's lawyers dismayed by NFA decision on her police report
The Star
yesterday
3:05
Short track-Do you know what happens During sexual arousal inside the body_ what is the clitoris_
A To Z Videos
10/5/2022
6:30
Do you know how orgasm is in females_ female body and biology
A To Z Videos
10/5/2022
3:33
DONT FAP (Omegle & Chatroulette Funny Moments #82)
Aysesen2016
10/14/2015
5:53
Kolkata women escape sex work to make money in recycling
DW (English)
yesterday
4:09
Pumpernickel — a quirky Westphalian bread creation
DW (English)
yesterday
3:31
GirlZOffMute —Nigeria:The most beautiful girl in the world. Where is she now?
DW (English)
yesterday
1:43
NATO's defense spending boost draws protest
DW (English)
yesterday
3:52
Italian vet fights for Europe's hedgehogs
DW (English)
yesterday
6:00
Situation in Iran, Middle East 'precarious' after US strikes
DW (English)
yesterday
4:30
L’Après M — McDonald's restaurant becomes social hub
DW (English)
2 days ago
5:42
Online dating: How do Europeans really find love?
DW (English)
3 days ago
1:19
Barbara Massing set to head Deutsche Welle
DW (English)
3 days ago
3:37
Is South Africa the right voice for Africa on energy?
DW (English)
3 days ago
12:35
Populist upset: Poland swings back to the right
DW (English)
3 days ago
12:35
One of the best: Indonesian paraglider pilot Jafro Megawanto
DW (English)
4 days ago
3:29
Tourism boom: How Albania is finding its niche
DW (English)
4 days ago
3:19
US travel ban brings more despair to Afghans in Pakistan
DW (English)
4 days ago
4:02
Syrian refugees face tough decision on returning home
DW (English)
4 days ago
5:34
UNHCR report: 123 million people displaced worldwide
DW (English)
4 days ago
2:56
Pakistan: Extreme heat puts outdoor workers at risk
DW (English)
5 days ago