Most birds fly straight ahead or swooping from side to side, but one bird, the hummingbird, can also move up and down, or hover in the same spot. It does not perch on a branch while eating, but hovers in mid-air as it inserts its bill into a flower and eats nectar and small insects. Then, when it has finished eating, it removes its bill from the flower by flying backwards! Only the hummingbird can fly backwards. -

Most birds fly straight ahead or swooping from side to side, but one bird, the hummingbird, can also move up and down, or hover in the same spot. It does not perch on a branch while eating, but hovers in mid-air as it inserts its bill into a flower and eats nectar and small insects. Then, when it has finished eating, it removes its bill from the flower by flying backwards! Only the hummingbird can fly backwards. -

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