1
00:00:06,700 --> 00:00:08,250
(Gentle music plays)
Hummingbirds are great.

2
00:00:08,250 --> 00:00:08,950
They're beautiful,

3
00:00:08,950 --> 00:00:10,830
they're fast
and when they hover,

4
00:00:10,830 --> 00:00:12,130
it almost seems
like magic.

5
00:00:12,650 --> 00:00:15,810
But how do they do
when the wind gets gusty?

6
00:00:15,810 --> 00:00:16,860
That's what Australian

7
00:00:16,860 --> 00:00:18,890
and American scientists
wanted to find out

8
00:00:18,890 --> 00:00:20,580
when they put the four
Ruby-throated

9
00:00:20,580 --> 00:00:22,280
Hummingbirds
in a wind tunnel.

10
00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:23,350
And the answer is,

11
00:00:23,350 --> 00:00:24,400
they just do great.

12
00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:29,990
The birds did just fine
in a steady wind, no surprise there.

13
00:00:29,990 --> 00:00:31,790
They also did great
with the wind speed

14
00:00:31,790 --> 00:00:34,290
varying
by as much as 15%.

15
00:00:34,290 --> 00:00:35,340
Just to compare,

16
00:00:35,340 --> 00:00:37,560
small drones
can only handle 7%.

17
00:00:38,250 --> 00:00:39,280
One way the birds cope

18
00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,410
is that they change
the angle and action

19
00:00:41,410 --> 00:00:43,060
of each wing
independently,

20
00:00:43,060 --> 00:00:44,660
in the space
of a wing beat.

21
00:00:44,660 --> 00:00:47,860
Those wings are beating
40 times per second.

22
00:00:48,890 --> 00:00:51,330
And constant
adjustment of the tail

23
00:00:51,330 --> 00:00:52,850
is very important,

24
00:00:52,850 --> 00:00:54,420
both in its position

25
00:00:54,420 --> 00:00:56,270
and in how much
it was fanned out.

26
00:00:56,270 --> 00:00:59,020
The next step the researchers
have in mind,

27
00:00:59,020 --> 00:01:00,150
is to try to help

28
00:01:00,150 --> 00:01:03,010
the drones catch up,
by giving them tails.

29
00:01:03,010 --> 00:01:13,080
(Music plays, increasing in volume)

30
00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:22,010
(Music plays, increasing in volume)