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Hovering :
Hovering is
actually a specific case of flapping.
What makes
hovering unique, is that, there is no forward motion of the animal
through air. Now, that’s important, because it is the
forward motion that generates the circulation of air around the wing -
which generates lift!
Hence, the entire purpose of the
motion of the wing during hovering is to balance the body weight. This
puts an upper limit to the mass of the flyer - and hence, hovering is
more common among insects than birds. However, in the bird community,
the hummingbird is famous for its efficiency in hovering.
During hovering, the wing
tip
traces out an almost horizontal figure 8.
![adapted from http://pdphoto.org adapted from http://pdphoto.org](images/hummingbird.jpg)
The hummingbird (Adapted
from http://pdphoto.org/)
Web Project by Debasmita Samaddar
PHYS 645, University of Alaska
Fairbanks
Fall - 2007
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