Tiny Dynamo:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird weighs less than a nickel, and like all hummingbird species including the Calliope and Rufous, it is a master of flight. Beating its wings 60 to 80 times a second, this tiny sprite creates a blur of motion and a whirring, insect-like sound. At first glance, it’s easy to mistake a Ruby-throated Hummingbird for a large bee!

Ruby-throats belong to a unique New World family of birds, the Trochilidae, that can fly backward as well as forward, and even hover in mid-air like tiny helicopters. How do they accomplish such amazing aerial acrobatics?