Research pair uncover secret of hummingbirds' ability to fly in the rain (w/ Video)
Thursday, July 19, 2012 - 11:01
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org) -- Hummingbirds are an interesting species. They dart around and fly like insects yet because they are warm blooded and cute, they inspire smiles in most who watch them. Whats not so cute is watching an Anna hummingbird (Calypte anna) try to feed on the nectar in a flower during a heavy rain. Because the birds are so small, big rain drops, typical in the South American rain forest in the eastern Andes where they live, tend to look like liquid boulders dropping from the sky. Worse still is the additional weight the birds must carry as the raindrops make them wet. Still, the birds manage to work it out due to necessity.