Can Any Birds Fly Backwards?

Most birds fly like airplanes, soaring straight ahead or swooping from side to side.

But there's one bird that can also move up and down, or hover in the same spot, just like a helicopter. That bird is the hummingbird. It accomplishes this feat by beating its wings 70 times a second!

The hummingbird does not perch on a branch while eating, but hovers in mid-air as it inserts its bill into a flower, dining on nectar and small insects.

When dinnertime is over, the hummingbird removes its bill from the flower by flying backwards! This amazing backwards flight is accomplished by the hummingbird, and no other bird, by turning its wings over.