Quote Originally Posted by John Chardine View Post
Good question Artie! On balance I think I would have to disagree with your learned ornithologist.

Hovering is rare in the bird world because it is a very energetically costly thing to do. Examples of hoverers are kingfishers, tropicbirds, some falcons and allies, and of course hummers. By "kiting" I take the term to mean that lift is derived in whole or in part by the wind. Larger hovering birds probably need some wind to add to lift derived from wing flapping- for example Ospreys. Smaller birds, not just hummers, are able to hover with no wind, but the method that creates lift differs between species. Smaller kingfishers for example, derive lift from the down sweep of their wing, then fold and turn their wing to minimise loss of lift on the upstroke. Hummers on the other hand are the only bird I am aware of that keep their wings straight on both strokes and derive lift on both strokes. There are many BPN members out there who have a lot of experience with hummers and I'll leave it to them to describe how they hover.
Belated thanks, John. The "friend" that I quoted was the late great ornithologist and writer, John K. Torres, who put together the Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds.