Editing Ruby-throated hummingbird (section)

=== Flight ===
Hummingbirds have many skeletal and flight muscle adaptations which allow great agility in flight. Muscles make up 25–30% of their body weight, and they have long, blade-like wings that, unlike the wings of other birds, connect to the body only from the shoulder joint.<ref name="hedrick">{{cite journal|title=Morphological and kinematic basis of the hummingbird flight stroke: scaling of flight muscle transmission ratio|journal=Proc Biol Sci|year=2011|volume= 22279|issue=1735|pages=1986–1992|doi=10.1098/rspb.2011.2238|pmid=22171086|pmc=3311889|last1=Hedrick|first1=T. L.|last2=Tobalske|first2=B. W.|last3=Ros|first3=I. G.|last4=Warrick|first4=D. R.|last5=Biewener|first5=A. A.}}</ref> This adaptation allows the wing to rotate almost 180°, enabling the bird to fly not only forward but backward, and to [[hovering flight|hover in mid-air]], flight capabilities that are similar to insects and unique among birds.<ref name=hedrick/>

The main wing bone, the [[humerus]], is specifically adapted for hovering flight. Hummingbirds have a relatively short humerus with proportionally massive [[deltoid muscle|deltoid]]-[[pectoralis major muscle|pectoral]] muscles which permit pronounced wing [[supination]] during upstroke when hovering.<ref name="tobalske1">{{Cite journal | pmid = 20581281| year = 2010| last1 = Tobalske| first1 = B. W.| title = Effects of flight speed upon muscle activity in hummingbirds| journal = Journal of Experimental Biology| volume = 213| issue = Pt 14| pages = 2515–23| last2 = Biewener| first2 = A. A.| last3 = Warrick| first3 = D. R.| last4 = Hedrick| first4 = T. L.| last5 = Powers| first5 = D. R.| doi = 10.1242/jeb.043844| s2cid = 9349200| url = https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/4892998/Tobalske_EffectsFlight.pdf?sequence=1| doi-access = free| bibcode = 2010JExpB.213.2515T}}</ref>

A hummingbird's ability to hover is due to its small mass, high wingbeat frequency and relatively large margin of mass-specific power available for flight. Several anatomical features contribute further, including proportionally massive major flight muscles ([[pectoralis major muscle|pectoralis major]] and [[supracoracoideus]]) and wing anatomy that enables the bird to leave its wings extended yet turned over ([[supine]]) during the upstroke. This generates lift that supports body weight and maneuvering.<ref name="tobalske2">{{cite journal|title=Hovering and intermittent flight in birds|author=Tobalske BW|journal=Bioinspir Biomim|year=2010|volume=5|issue=4|page=045004|doi=10.1088/1748-3182/5/4/045004|pmid=21098953|bibcode=2010BiBi....5d5004T |s2cid=9719885}}</ref>

Hummingbirds achieve ability to support their weight and hover from wing beats creating lift on the downstroke of a wing flap and also on the upstroke in a ratio of 75%:25%, respectively, similarly to an insect.<ref name=tobalske2/><ref name="warrick">{{cite journal|vauthors=Warrick DR, Tobalske BW, Powers DR |year=2005 |title=Aerodynamics of the hovering hummingbird |journal=Nature |volume=435 |issue=23 June 7045 |pages=1094–7 |doi=10.1038/nature03647 |pmid=15973407|bibcode=2005Natur.435.1094W |s2cid=4427424 |url=https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=bio_fac |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Hummingbirds and insects gain lift during hovering partially through inversion of their cambered wings during an upstroke.<ref name=warrick/> During hovering, hummingbird wings beat up to 80 times per second.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|author=Gill V|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/28563737|title=Hummingbirds edge out helicopters in hover contest|date=30 July 2014|access-date=1 September 2014}}</ref>