The hummingbird gives off an impression of unerring grace, with its keen ability to fly in place like a helicopter. But its aviation software could have a bug, specifically in its "hover here in front of this food" protocol.
A pair of researchers, Benjamin Goller and Douglas Altshuler, from the University of British Columbia showed in a new study that the tiny fast-flappers lose some of their in-flight mojo when background motion is present in their field of view.
The researchers projected images on a surface behind a bird feeder in a laboratory arena. As hummingbirds attempted to dine at the feeder, the scientists observed that images such as a rotating spiral caused the birds to fly more haltingly, drifting away from the feeder as their beaks strove to make contact.
"Despite the urge to feed, the birds seemed unable to adapt to the moving images," explained Goller in a release.
Just as unhelpful, the hummingbirds weren't able to adjust and adapt to the moving images as they grew used to their presence. The researchers noted that when their beaks broke contact with the feeder a sort of reset was triggered -- the birds would fall back to their starting hover position and then become flummoxed by the moving images all over again.
Still images, meanwhile, did not seem to hinder the birds.
The scientists surmise that hummingbirds hover in position by stabilizing movement in their visual field, a process they found surprisingly sensitive in a bird known for its talents in spatial mapping and visual processing.
"It suggests the hummingbirds' visual motion detection network can override even a critical behavior like feeding," Goller said.
The team's findings have just been published in the December 8 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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