What Happens When You Put a Hummingbird in a Wind Tunnel?
From Deep Look
3 min3rd4th5th6thScience
Summary
Scientists use a wind tunnel to study how hummingbirds hover and steer in gusty air. Deep Look films the rapid, figure-eight wingbeats that let these tiny birds hang still or dart in any direction.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A hummingbird beats its wings in a fast figure-eight, pushing air to create the forces that hold it still in the air or move it any direction — even in wind.
- How does a hummingbird hover in one spot?
- What forces does the bird create by moving its wings?
- Why do scientists use a wind tunnel to study flight?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: force, hover, wingbeat, lift.
Try it: Fan a piece of paper to hold a light object up with moving air. Write how a hummingbird pushes air to stay aloft.