Hummingbirds have an impressive flight.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Scientists believe that hummingbirds are probably one of the most fascinating birds on the planet especially thanks to their size and how fast they move their wings.
Based on the latest research, experts have learned that these tiny birds have a trick that allows them to avoid collisions. By understanding this unique pattern, scientists hope to develop drone technology further.
A lot of insects, including house flies and honeybees, follow a simple visual pattern when they fly depending on how fast an object pass them on both sides. For example, when we are driving a car it doesn’t take us too long to pass a sign on the side of the road compared to how long it takes us to pass a town which is 20 miles away.
Despite the fact that insects are more likely to crash into windows or other things, birds use other navigation mechanisms that allow them to avoid colliding with other things. A team of scientists from the University of British Columbia has conducted a study to see how hummingbirds avoid other objects while they are flying.
According to Roslyn Dakin, lead researcher from the University of British Columbia, hummingbirds love sugar so scientists can make them fly around in a chamber many times to conduct an experiment. The team used a common Pacific hummingbird named Anna in a tunnel of 5.5 meters (18 feet) with a perch and a feeder at one end and the other.
Then, they used moving patterns of distinct shapes and sizes along the tunnel walls to see if the hummingbird will dodge them during its flight. The team analyzed countless of trips back and forth to understand how the tiny birds’ flight can be so accurate.
Researchers discovered that the bird managed to dodge every obstacle based on its pattern size. For instance, if you approach at the same time a tree branch 15 feet away and one just one foot away, the branch that is closer will seem larger faster than the other.
Based on this concept, hummingbirds establish when they have to avoid colliding with an object during their flight. Never before has such a distinctive flight pattern been observed in a bird.
The team will now continue their investigation to understand more about hummingbirds, especially their brain. Males are known to fly at impressive speeds up to 90 km per hour, and they are still able to avoid collision with other things.
Image Source:Holiday Place
John Birks
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