Improved hummingbird helicopters

Flyers use flying energy very effectively, can flap wings to stand still, suspended in the air. The secret that scientists find is the ratio of length and width of birds wings.

Picture: mama-knows.com

Scientist David Lentink of Stanford University, USA, and his colleagues tested the wings of 12 different hummingbird species. At the same time, the team also tested the Black Hornet, the tiny self-propelled helicopter that British troops used in Afghanistan.

They found that the propeller of this sub-helicopter was effective against flying hummingbirds. The Anna hippopotamus, commonly found on the west coast of the United States, has wings that are 27% more efficient than the Black Hawk's propeller.

Daily Mail quoted Professor Lentink as saying, based on the measurements of the hummingbird Anna, humans could increase the efficiency of the helicopters.