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New Study Shows Hummingbirds Feel The Need… The Need for Speed

A recent study has shown that hummingbirds master flight with a surprising mix of “autopilot” for forward motion and precise vision for hovering, offering clues for programming next-gen autonomous drones and flying cars.

By Richard Cole · January 12, 2024

Hummingbird hovering Creative Commons/PickPik

Zoologists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have discovered that hummingbirds employ two distinct sensory strategies to control their flight. The findings, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B this week, shed light on the intricate mechanisms these tiny birds utilize when transitioning between hovering and forward motion.

"When in forward flight, hummingbirds rely on what we call an 'internal forward model' – almost an ingrained, intuitive autopilot – to gauge speed. There's just too much information coming in to rely directly on every visual cue from your surroundings."
Dr. Vikram B. Baliga, lead author of the study

This internal forward model acts as a sort of autopilot system, allowing the hummingbirds to navigate through the air seamlessly. However, the researchers found that when the hummingbirds were hovering or dealing with cues that required changes in altitude, they leaned more heavily on real-time, direct visual feedback from their environment. This dual strategy allows them to adapt to different flight scenarios, ensuring agility and precision in their movements.

To conduct the study, hummingbirds were observed performing repeated flights from a perch to a feeder in a specially designed four-meter tunnel. The researchers projected various visual stimuli on the chamber’s front and side walls to test how the birds reacted. Vertical stripes mimicking forward motion, horizontal stripes indicating changes in altitude, and rotating swirls creating the illusion of a change in position were among the visual cues used.

Hummingbird in flight  Skyler Ewing/Pexels

Dr. Baliga commented on the experiment, stating, “If the birds were taking their cues directly from visual stimuli, we’d expect them to adjust their forward velocity to the speed of vertical stripes on the side walls. But while the birds did change velocity or stop altogether depending on the patterns, there wasn’t a neat correlation.”

Surprisingly, the study revealed that during flight, hummingbirds adjusted more directly to stimuli indicating a change in altitude. Additionally, during hovering, the birds closely aligned their position with the shifting spirals projected on the front wall.

Dr. Doug Altshuler, senior author on the paper, emphasized the unexpected discoveries during the experiments. “Our experiments were designed to investigate how hummingbirds control flight speed,” he said. “But because the hummingbirds took spontaneous breaks to hover during their flights, we uncovered these two distinct strategies to control different aspects of their trajectories.”

Beyond enhancing our understanding of hummingbird locomotion, these findings could have broader implications. The study suggests potential applications in the programming of onboard navigation for next-generation autonomous flying and hovering vehicles. By learning from the natural strategies of hummingbirds, researchers may contribute to the development of more efficient and adaptive autonomous systems inspired by these remarkable aviators.

In the realm of technology and nature intersecting, the study provides a glimpse into the intricate world of hummingbird flight, unlocking secrets that may influence the future of autonomous aerial vehicles. The hummingbirds, it seems, have more than just wings – they have a lesson or two for the world of aviation.