They also can change directions in midair and can hover in place for about a minute. Hummingbirds are the only non-insects that can fly backwards, and they generally do so only when they are done feeding on the nectar of a flower.

Their wings remain straight, unlike most birds’ wings that bend in the middle, and this gives them more strength when flying. Although it was once thought that flying backwards was not an efficient means of movement, research has found that flying backwards uses the same amount of energy as forward flight and is about 20% more efficient than hovering in midair.

A hummingbird can rotate each of its wings in a circle, allowing them to be the only bird which can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways or sit in sheer space. To hover, hummingbirds move their wings forward and backward in a repeated figure eight, much like the arms of a swimmer treading water.

Hummingbirds can move instantaneously in any direction, start from its perch at full speed, and doesn’t necessarily slow up to land. Hummingbirds can even fly short distances upside down, a trick rollover they employ when being attacked by another bird.

Hummingbirds flap their wings to fly forward but a hummingbird’s wings rotate at its flexible shoulders nearly 180 degrees. Meanwhile, the tiny bird’s wings beat about 18 to 80 times a second.By slanting the angle of its wings and using its powerful chest muscles, a hummingbird can tip up and fly backwards and by spreading its tail and doing a quick backward somersault, a hummingbird can also fly upside down. Recent studies have revealed that hummingbirds combine a bird’s body with the flying tricks of insects.