Flight of the hummingbird: How size and wing shape forge fantastic flyers

A group of biologists from the University of B.C. braved army ants and driving rain to answer one simple question: What makes hummingbirds such nimble flyers?

Their research, published in the journal Science this week, examines the ways that body size, wing size and wing shape affect how the birds accelerate and decelerate, rotate in the air and make complex turns.

The deciding factor for species with the most agile manoeuvres is the capacity of their muscles to produce a lot