How do we know?
↻ One of the pages with a moving picture
A parrotlet flew through laser light.
- A bird’s long wing feathers are shaped to make lift as air rushes past, holding the bird up.
- Big chest muscles flap the wings, pushing the bird forward.
- Hollow bones and a smooth, streamlined shape keep the bird light.
- A strong heart, 6 times heavier than ours for its size, keeps the flying muscles working.
At Stanford, a parrotlet named Obi wore safety goggles and flew through laser light and tiny specks, so scientists could see the air its wings moved.
A flying hummingbird’s heart can beat over 1,200 times a minute. Resting, it beats about 250 times.
Not every bird with wings can fly. Penguins, emus and ostriches can’t. And some flyers were nearly lost: in 1982 only 22 California condors were left in the whole world. Now these giant birds fly at the Grand Canyon again.
Wow number
1,200 A flying hummingbird’s heart can beat over 1,200 times a minute. Resting, it beats about 250 times.
Myth or fact?
All birds with wings can fly. Myth. Penguins, emus and ostriches can’t.
Hummingbirds can fly backward. Fact. They can hover in one spot, too.
Think about it
Why do you think people can’t fly by flapping their arms?
Where in the world?
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA where California condors fly again. In 1982 only 22 of these giant birds were left in the whole world — 36.1069° N, 112.1129° W.
Where these facts come from
Every number on page 54, and who measured it
This page tells us only 22 California condors were left in the world.
California Condor — The Peregrine Fund, a group that saves birds of prey
peregrinefund.org/index%2Ephp/explore-raptors-species/vultures/california-condor
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page also tells us how fast a hummingbird's heart beats.
Hummingbirds — The Smithsonian's National Zoo
nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/hummingbirds
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us how fast a hummingbird's heart beats, resting and flying.
Banding Hummingbirds to Solve their Mysterious Ways — The National Audubon Society, a big bird-protecting group
audubon.org/magazine/banding-hummingbirds-solve-their-mysterious-ways
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page explains how wings, muscles, light bones and a big heart help birds fly.
Have Wings, Will Travel: Avian Adaptations for Migration — The Smithsonian's National Zoo
nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/news/have-wings-will-travel-avian-adaptations-migration
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us about the California condors at the Grand Canyon.
California Condor — The U.S. National Park Service
nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/california-condor.htm
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us about Obi the parrotlet, who flew through laser light.
Stanford University
news.stanford.edu/stories/2016/12/birds-flying-laser-light-reveal-faults-flight-research
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us about birds that have wings but can't fly.
Birds of the Everglades — The U.S. National Park Service
nps.gov/ever/learn/kidsyouth/birds-of-the-everglades.htm
We checked it on 31 October 2026
This page tells us that hummingbirds can hover and fly backward.
Earth’s Original Aviators (U.S. National Park Service) — The U.S. National Park Service
nps.gov/articles/earth-s-original-aviators.htm
We checked it on 31 October 2026
Has this changed?
How birds fly is not going to change.
What changes is how well we can watch it: scientists now fly birds through laser light to see the air their wings move.
Words from this page
- lift
- The upward push that air gives a wing as it rushes past.
- streamlined
- Smooth in shape, so air flows past easily.
Try it!
Feel how much air a wing pushes.
1. Hold a sheet of paper flat, like a wing. 2. Swish it down fast. Feel the air? 3. Now swish it down edge first, like a knife.
What happens: the flat sheet pushes much more air. Wide wings push lots of air with every flap.
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