The video clip by Lakshmi Ravishankar of a Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) flying sideways on a windy day begs the question on how it does it? Or was the bird being swept sideways?
When birds fly against the wind, they can be blown backwards if the wind speed exceeds their forward flight speed. If the birds are small and the wind is extra strong, the birds can easily be blown off course.
Hummingbirds are unique as they have the ability to fly in all directions – left, right, up, down, forward and backwards LINK but other species of birds?
Lakshmi Ravishankar
Pune, India
13th September 2016