How many times per second does a hummingbird beat its wings?

Science medium Data from 2023

Guess before you scroll — the answer is below

Answer in beats per second. Shorthand like 9m or 1.2bn works.

The answer

70 beats per second

Hummingbirds beat their wings around 70 times a second, and their hearts run at over 1,200 beats a minute in flight. To sustain it they eat roughly half their body weight in sugar every day.

Where this number comes from

Source Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Figure refers to 2023
Last checked
Unit beats per second

Numbers move. If this one has drifted from its source, let us know.

Think you can do better?

Five fresh questions every day. No account needed.

Play today’s puzzle

Related questions