Aerodynamics of the hovering hummingbird

Douglas R. Warrick (), Bret W. Tobalske and Donald R. Powers
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Douglas R. Warrick: Oregon State University
Bret W. Tobalske: University of Portland
Donald R. Powers: George Fox University

Nature, 2005, vol. 435, issue 7045, 1094-1097

Abstract: Strictly for the birds Since the first high-speed films were taken of hummingbirds nearly seventy years ago, it has been assumed that their mirror-image upstroke and downstroke shared the burden of weight support roughly equally. This led to the view that in hovering flight hummingbirds have converged — both biomechanically, and aerodynamically — on the flight style adopted by insects. A new study of the aerodynamics of the hovering hummingbird shows that while they share some aerodynamic ‘tricks’ with insects, they remain birds. They have a bird-like aerofoil and produce a downstroke three times as effective at generating lift as the upstroke.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature03647

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