Hummingbirds flap their wings extraordinarily fast, but the exact rate depends on the species and what they’re doing:
- Typical hovering: about 20–80 wingbeats per second
- Small species (like the Bee Hummingbird): up to 80–90 beats per second
- Larger hummingbirds: often around 10–20 beats per second
- During courtship dives or rapid maneuvers, some species can momentarily exceed their normal hovering rates.
To put that in perspective, a hummingbird flapping at 50 beats per second is moving its wings 3,000 times per minute.
Their unique ball-and-socket shoulder joint allows them to rotate their wings in a figure-eight pattern, generating lift on both the forward and backward strokes—one reason they can hover in place and even fly backward.