birds

[beats04]

What is the only bird that can fly backwards?

[shivvy]

The hummingbird?

[heathfield]

Learn all about it here

[diddydi]

The little hummingbird is the only one.

[plowter]

Depends on your definition of 'fly'.

Take a kestrel as an example. They're able to hover and drift forward or backward. Since they're bigger and heavier than a hummingbird kestrels probably depend more on wind or air currents. But isn't that flying?

[Cetti]

No, the only bird that can literally fly backwards is - the Hummingbird.

The Kestrel hovers, mostly bending forwards, occasionally drifting backwards with the wind, but that is not flying.

[sidkid]

An albatross drifts with and against the wind barely moving its wings but I would call that flying.....

[McNoodle]

The one that's tied to a bit of string and whizzed around above your head.

[wildwood]

Have to disagree with you cetti. (is this the first time ever?) While hummingbird is the correct answer for the pub quiz, it is not the right answer in reality. Many birds can hover even without relying on the wind. Sunbirds consume nectar while hovering and do fly backwards just as efficiently as hummers. Even a pigeon can fly backwards while hovering, even only a little bit.

[Cetti]

Of course you can disagree, wildwood, I often get things wrong, but in this case shivvy, diddydi and myself are in agreement that it is the Hummingbird that flies backwards, forwards and in all directions.

Have a look at heathfields video link, then this link that dispels any confusion about the Sunbird's flight.

http://montereybay.com/creagrus/sunbirds.html

[wildwood]

You misunderstood cetti. I agree that a hummingbird can fly backwards and is probably the best at it. It is your statement that the hummingbird is the only bird which can fly backwards which I totally disagree with.