In the News
Molecular Cell Spotlight: How hummingbirds hover: natural selection for energetics of hovering flight; David H. Wasserman; March 16, 2023
Quanta Magazine: Geometric analysis reveals how birds mastered flight; Yasemin Saplakoglu; August 3, 2022
Science In Other Journals: Nimble neurons enable nimble flight; Pamela J. Hines; July 1, 2022
Nature News and Views: Trade-offs between stability and manoeuvrability in bird flight; Aimy Wissa; March 10, 2022
The Weather Network: Helping hummingbirds thrive in B.C. winters; Victoria Fenn Alvarado; January 7, 2022
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: Zebra finches turn up wing power by flapping further; Kathryn Knight; November 16, 2020
Listening to the Earth: Hummingbirds; Interview with Elizabeth Bassett and Christina Mantey; May 1, 2020
Journal of Experimental Biology: Outside JEB: Wing swing, not shape, is key to bird flight; Alex Evans; February 3, 2020
Cosmos Magazine: Birds wing it in many ways; Natalie Parletta; October 25, 2019
United Press International: An eagle's gliding ability relies on its wrist movements; Brooks Hays; October 24, 2019. Also covered by Breitbart
CBC Radio-Canada: Le mystère entourant les styles de vol des oiseaux pourrait être résolu; Geneviève Lasalle; October 24, 2019
Beaty Biodiversity Museum: Rethinking wings; Dale Gintner; October 23, 2019
UrekaAltert! (AAAS): Why are bald eagles such great gliders? It's all in the wrist; October 23, 2019. Also covered by Science Daily, PhysOrg, and UBC News
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: Muscles brake and bend joints to shape wings; Kathryn Knight; April 9, 2019
The Times: Gulls’ bendy wings point way ahead for smarter drones; Tom Whipple; January 3, 2019
News Center Maine: Gull 'wing morphing' could be the future of airplane tech; Video by Amaze Lab; January 3, 2019
NRC Handelsblad: Wiebelende meeuw stabiliseert zich met slim ellebogenwerk; Dorine Schenk; January 2, 2019
Forbes.com: The evolution of flight maneuvers in hummingbirds: new research reveals the secrets of their agility; Fiona McMillan; February 11, 2018
CBC News British Columbia: Flight of the hummingbird: how size and wing shape forge fantastic flyers; Bethany Lindsay; February 10, 2018
Swedish Radio (Sverges Radio) Science Insider (Vetenskapsradion): Därför är kolibrier så snabba i luften; Julia Bardh; February 9, 2018
BBC Science in Action: The secrets of hummingbird flight revealed; Interview with Roland Pease; February 8, 2018
Daily Mail: Size DOESN'T matter: Larger hummingbirds are just as good at flying as their smaller relatives; Joe Pinkstone; February 8, 2018
Science News: Trove of hummingbird flight data reveals secrets of nimble flying; Susan Milius; February 8, 2018
Seeker: The secrets of hummingbird agility revealed; Jen Viegas; February 8, 2018
sinc La ciencia es noticia: Desvelado el secreto del ágil vuelo del colibrí; Eva Rodríguez Nieto; February 8, 2018
Science: High-speed cameras reveal how hummingbirds can turn on a dime; Elizabeth Pennisi; February 8, 2018
Science Perspective: How hummingbirds stay nimble on the wing; Peter C. Wainwright; February 8, 2018
Ducks Unlimited Canada: Avoiding "feather-benders": one strategy birds use to evade collisions; February 2, 2018
National Geographic Magazine: Flight school (Associated videos can be seen here); Story: Brendan Borrell; Photographs: Anand Varma; July 2017
Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Video lecture: Visual control of bird flight and its implications for bioinspired design; June 7, 2017
Roundhouse Radio Sense of Place: Interview with Minelle Mahtani; April 13, 2017
Current Biology Dispatch: Visual neuroscience: unique neural system for flight stabilization in hummingbirds; Michael R. Ibbotson; January 23, 2017
CBC Quirks and Quarks: How do hummingbirds avoid 50 km/h collisions?; Andrea Gaede interviewed by Bob MacDonald; January 7, 2017
Smithsonian Magazine: For hummingbirds, the world moves as fast as they do; Ben Panko; January 6, 2017
Los Angeles Times: Science explains why humans may never see the world through a hummingbird’s eyes; Deborah Netburn; January 6, 2017
Vice Motherboard: The mighty hummingbird can perceive motion from every angle; Grennan Milliken; January 5, 2017
The Scientist: How hummingbirds sense movement while hovering; Anna Azvolinsky; January 5, 2017
BBC World Service: Interview starts at 38:00 in the broadcast; July 19, 2016
Christian Science Monitor: How do hummingbirds navigate at such high speeds without crashing? ; Eva Botkin-Kowacki; July 19, 2016
Vancouver Sun: Hummingbirds process the world differently, UBC study finds; Randy Shore; July 19, 2016
Gizmodo: Hummingbird flight is more amazing than we realized; Maddie Stone; July 18, 2016
Montecristo Magazine: Featherweight champions; Story: Kerry Banks; Photos: Grant Harder; Summer 2016
research2reality: As the hummingbird turns; Malgosia Pakulska; April 6, 2016
eLife Podcast: Episode 27; Christopher Smith; January/February 2016
Canadian Wildlife: On the edge of extreme; Kerry Banks; January 1, 2016
Daily Planet, Discovery Canada: Brute strength of hummingbirds; December 17, 2015
Serious Science: Hummingbird agility depends on raw muscle power; December 16, 2015
The Daily Mail: What a bunch of show-offs! Hummingbirds perform more spectacular mid-air manoeuvres when competitors are around; Richard Gray; November 19, 2015
ABC The Science Show: The flight of the hummingbird; Andrew Davies; June 10, 2015
Nature Outlook: Aerodynamics: Vortices and robobees; Neil Savage; May 21, 2015
Sky3D: David Attenborough's Conquest Of The Skies: Episode 3 - Triumph; January 15, 2015 (Premiere)
The Science Times: Can a peripheral anomaly cause hummingbirds to crash?; Ryan Wallace; December 11, 2014
Science Actualités: Colibri : qui a vu volera; Roxane Tchernia; December 10, 2014
United Press International: Study: motion distracts hummingbird hovering skills; Brooks Hays; December 9, 2014
Science World Report: Hummingbirds' keen eyes are what allow it to hover over flowers; Catherine Griffin; December 9, 2014
Discovery: Hummingbird's hover hampered by background motion; Richard Farrell; December 9, 2014
New Scientist: Moving objects make hummingbirds wobble mid-flight; Flora Graham; December 9, 2014
Modern Notion: How to hack a hummingbird’s hover, one spiral at a time; Jes Greene; December 9, 2014
Daily Mail: Secret of the hummingbird's hover revealed - and it could help improve helicopter technology; Sarah Griffiths; August 11, 2014
BBC News: Hummingbirds edge out helicopters in hover contest; Victoria Gill; July 30, 2014
Science: The awesome strength of a hummingbird; Hassan DuRant; July 29, 2014
Tierwelt: Kühne kolibris erobern Kanada; Bernadette Calonego; June 12, 2014
Canadian Geographic: Hummingbirds continue to diversify and adapt to different ecological niches; Ariana Kaknevicius; May 7, 2014
The Christian Science Moniotor: Hummingbird speciation really hummed, say scientists; Sudeshna Chowdhury; April 4, 2014
Reuters: Birds of a feather: hummingbird family tree unveiled; Will Dunham; April 3, 2014
Nature News: Hummingbird diversity still booming; Ed Yong; April 3, 2014
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Inner Workings: Avian acrobatics; Prashant Nair; April 16, 2013
CBC Quirks and Quarks: Science fact or fiction; Bob MacDonald; November 5, 2011
Earthsky.org: Andes mountain hummingbirds might lose habitat, risk extinction, as climate warms; Deanna E. Conners; March 14, 2011
Fox 11 News: Inside the hummingbird lab; Cynthia Gonzales; March 2011
The Press-Enterprise: Sun, salt, sheep and the stimulus; Dug Gegley and Ben Goad; February 2010
PBS Nature: Hummingbirds: magic in the air; January 10, 2009 (Premiere)
EMBO Reports: The nature of flight: the molecules and mechanics of flight in animals; 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: Carbohydrate: top hummingbird fuel; June 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology: Outside JEB: High-flying hummingbirds burst to beat competitors; Richard Bonser; June 2006
Los Angeles Times: Scientists vindicated: bees can fly; here's how; Thomas H. Maugh II; December 3, 2005
The Guardian: Secret of bees' flight revealed; Ian Sample; November 29, 2005
BBC World Service Live Interview; November 29, 2005
Scientific American: Longstanding puzzle of honeybee flight solved at last”. David Biello. Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Die Welt: Forscher erklären dynamik des bienenflugs; November 29, 2005
NewScientist: Secrets of bee flight revealed; Helen Phillips; November 28, 2005
San Francisco Chronicle (front page article): Physics of flying keeps insects as busy as a bee while in the air; Keay Davidson; November 28, 2005
BBC Wildlife Magazine: High Hum: hummingbirds that cope with high altitude; 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology: Outside JEB: It's hard to hover at height; Eric Tytell; April 2005
The Daily Californian: The flight of the hummingbird; Stephanie Lam; February 2, 2005
ScienceNow: High altitude hovering; Kathleen Wong; December 2004
Live Science: High-altitude hummingbirds have bigger wings; Sarah Todd Davidson; December 27, 2004
New York Times: High power hummingbirds; Henry Fountain; December 7, 2004
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: ; Kolibris im höhenflug; Diemut Klärner; February 2004
bild der wissenschaft: Wie kolibris in großen höhen in der luft bleiben; December 8, 2003
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: How hummingbirds scale the heights; Kathryn Phillips; September 2003
New Scientist: Go for the Glow; February 2002
Biophotonics International: UV reflection attracts birds to ripe fruits; March 2002
Portland Magazine: Discovering: the leap; Winter 2001
Pulse of the Planet Hummingbirds: intro; April 2000
Pulse of the Planet Hummingbirds: physiology; April 2000
Pulse of the Planet Hummingbirds: antisocial; April 2000
Austin American-Statesman: Wings in the wind; February 17, 1997
Austin American-Statesman: Tiny guests depart UT research; September 1997
Quanta Magazine: Geometric analysis reveals how birds mastered flight; Yasemin Saplakoglu; August 3, 2022
Science In Other Journals: Nimble neurons enable nimble flight; Pamela J. Hines; July 1, 2022
Nature News and Views: Trade-offs between stability and manoeuvrability in bird flight; Aimy Wissa; March 10, 2022
The Weather Network: Helping hummingbirds thrive in B.C. winters; Victoria Fenn Alvarado; January 7, 2022
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: Zebra finches turn up wing power by flapping further; Kathryn Knight; November 16, 2020
Listening to the Earth: Hummingbirds; Interview with Elizabeth Bassett and Christina Mantey; May 1, 2020
Journal of Experimental Biology: Outside JEB: Wing swing, not shape, is key to bird flight; Alex Evans; February 3, 2020
Cosmos Magazine: Birds wing it in many ways; Natalie Parletta; October 25, 2019
United Press International: An eagle's gliding ability relies on its wrist movements; Brooks Hays; October 24, 2019. Also covered by Breitbart
CBC Radio-Canada: Le mystère entourant les styles de vol des oiseaux pourrait être résolu; Geneviève Lasalle; October 24, 2019
Beaty Biodiversity Museum: Rethinking wings; Dale Gintner; October 23, 2019
UrekaAltert! (AAAS): Why are bald eagles such great gliders? It's all in the wrist; October 23, 2019. Also covered by Science Daily, PhysOrg, and UBC News
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: Muscles brake and bend joints to shape wings; Kathryn Knight; April 9, 2019
The Times: Gulls’ bendy wings point way ahead for smarter drones; Tom Whipple; January 3, 2019
News Center Maine: Gull 'wing morphing' could be the future of airplane tech; Video by Amaze Lab; January 3, 2019
NRC Handelsblad: Wiebelende meeuw stabiliseert zich met slim ellebogenwerk; Dorine Schenk; January 2, 2019
Forbes.com: The evolution of flight maneuvers in hummingbirds: new research reveals the secrets of their agility; Fiona McMillan; February 11, 2018
CBC News British Columbia: Flight of the hummingbird: how size and wing shape forge fantastic flyers; Bethany Lindsay; February 10, 2018
Swedish Radio (Sverges Radio) Science Insider (Vetenskapsradion): Därför är kolibrier så snabba i luften; Julia Bardh; February 9, 2018
BBC Science in Action: The secrets of hummingbird flight revealed; Interview with Roland Pease; February 8, 2018
Daily Mail: Size DOESN'T matter: Larger hummingbirds are just as good at flying as their smaller relatives; Joe Pinkstone; February 8, 2018
Science News: Trove of hummingbird flight data reveals secrets of nimble flying; Susan Milius; February 8, 2018
Seeker: The secrets of hummingbird agility revealed; Jen Viegas; February 8, 2018
sinc La ciencia es noticia: Desvelado el secreto del ágil vuelo del colibrí; Eva Rodríguez Nieto; February 8, 2018
Science: High-speed cameras reveal how hummingbirds can turn on a dime; Elizabeth Pennisi; February 8, 2018
Science Perspective: How hummingbirds stay nimble on the wing; Peter C. Wainwright; February 8, 2018
Ducks Unlimited Canada: Avoiding "feather-benders": one strategy birds use to evade collisions; February 2, 2018
National Geographic Magazine: Flight school (Associated videos can be seen here); Story: Brendan Borrell; Photographs: Anand Varma; July 2017
Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Video lecture: Visual control of bird flight and its implications for bioinspired design; June 7, 2017
Roundhouse Radio Sense of Place: Interview with Minelle Mahtani; April 13, 2017
Current Biology Dispatch: Visual neuroscience: unique neural system for flight stabilization in hummingbirds; Michael R. Ibbotson; January 23, 2017
CBC Quirks and Quarks: How do hummingbirds avoid 50 km/h collisions?; Andrea Gaede interviewed by Bob MacDonald; January 7, 2017
Smithsonian Magazine: For hummingbirds, the world moves as fast as they do; Ben Panko; January 6, 2017
Los Angeles Times: Science explains why humans may never see the world through a hummingbird’s eyes; Deborah Netburn; January 6, 2017
Vice Motherboard: The mighty hummingbird can perceive motion from every angle; Grennan Milliken; January 5, 2017
The Scientist: How hummingbirds sense movement while hovering; Anna Azvolinsky; January 5, 2017
BBC World Service: Interview starts at 38:00 in the broadcast; July 19, 2016
Christian Science Monitor: How do hummingbirds navigate at such high speeds without crashing? ; Eva Botkin-Kowacki; July 19, 2016
Vancouver Sun: Hummingbirds process the world differently, UBC study finds; Randy Shore; July 19, 2016
Gizmodo: Hummingbird flight is more amazing than we realized; Maddie Stone; July 18, 2016
Montecristo Magazine: Featherweight champions; Story: Kerry Banks; Photos: Grant Harder; Summer 2016
research2reality: As the hummingbird turns; Malgosia Pakulska; April 6, 2016
eLife Podcast: Episode 27; Christopher Smith; January/February 2016
Canadian Wildlife: On the edge of extreme; Kerry Banks; January 1, 2016
Daily Planet, Discovery Canada: Brute strength of hummingbirds; December 17, 2015
Serious Science: Hummingbird agility depends on raw muscle power; December 16, 2015
The Daily Mail: What a bunch of show-offs! Hummingbirds perform more spectacular mid-air manoeuvres when competitors are around; Richard Gray; November 19, 2015
ABC The Science Show: The flight of the hummingbird; Andrew Davies; June 10, 2015
Nature Outlook: Aerodynamics: Vortices and robobees; Neil Savage; May 21, 2015
Sky3D: David Attenborough's Conquest Of The Skies: Episode 3 - Triumph; January 15, 2015 (Premiere)
The Science Times: Can a peripheral anomaly cause hummingbirds to crash?; Ryan Wallace; December 11, 2014
Science Actualités: Colibri : qui a vu volera; Roxane Tchernia; December 10, 2014
United Press International: Study: motion distracts hummingbird hovering skills; Brooks Hays; December 9, 2014
Science World Report: Hummingbirds' keen eyes are what allow it to hover over flowers; Catherine Griffin; December 9, 2014
Discovery: Hummingbird's hover hampered by background motion; Richard Farrell; December 9, 2014
New Scientist: Moving objects make hummingbirds wobble mid-flight; Flora Graham; December 9, 2014
Modern Notion: How to hack a hummingbird’s hover, one spiral at a time; Jes Greene; December 9, 2014
Daily Mail: Secret of the hummingbird's hover revealed - and it could help improve helicopter technology; Sarah Griffiths; August 11, 2014
BBC News: Hummingbirds edge out helicopters in hover contest; Victoria Gill; July 30, 2014
Science: The awesome strength of a hummingbird; Hassan DuRant; July 29, 2014
Tierwelt: Kühne kolibris erobern Kanada; Bernadette Calonego; June 12, 2014
Canadian Geographic: Hummingbirds continue to diversify and adapt to different ecological niches; Ariana Kaknevicius; May 7, 2014
The Christian Science Moniotor: Hummingbird speciation really hummed, say scientists; Sudeshna Chowdhury; April 4, 2014
Reuters: Birds of a feather: hummingbird family tree unveiled; Will Dunham; April 3, 2014
Nature News: Hummingbird diversity still booming; Ed Yong; April 3, 2014
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Inner Workings: Avian acrobatics; Prashant Nair; April 16, 2013
CBC Quirks and Quarks: Science fact or fiction; Bob MacDonald; November 5, 2011
Earthsky.org: Andes mountain hummingbirds might lose habitat, risk extinction, as climate warms; Deanna E. Conners; March 14, 2011
Fox 11 News: Inside the hummingbird lab; Cynthia Gonzales; March 2011
The Press-Enterprise: Sun, salt, sheep and the stimulus; Dug Gegley and Ben Goad; February 2010
PBS Nature: Hummingbirds: magic in the air; January 10, 2009 (Premiere)
EMBO Reports: The nature of flight: the molecules and mechanics of flight in animals; 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: Carbohydrate: top hummingbird fuel; June 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology: Outside JEB: High-flying hummingbirds burst to beat competitors; Richard Bonser; June 2006
Los Angeles Times: Scientists vindicated: bees can fly; here's how; Thomas H. Maugh II; December 3, 2005
The Guardian: Secret of bees' flight revealed; Ian Sample; November 29, 2005
BBC World Service Live Interview; November 29, 2005
Scientific American: Longstanding puzzle of honeybee flight solved at last”. David Biello. Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Die Welt: Forscher erklären dynamik des bienenflugs; November 29, 2005
NewScientist: Secrets of bee flight revealed; Helen Phillips; November 28, 2005
San Francisco Chronicle (front page article): Physics of flying keeps insects as busy as a bee while in the air; Keay Davidson; November 28, 2005
BBC Wildlife Magazine: High Hum: hummingbirds that cope with high altitude; 2005
Journal of Experimental Biology: Outside JEB: It's hard to hover at height; Eric Tytell; April 2005
The Daily Californian: The flight of the hummingbird; Stephanie Lam; February 2, 2005
ScienceNow: High altitude hovering; Kathleen Wong; December 2004
Live Science: High-altitude hummingbirds have bigger wings; Sarah Todd Davidson; December 27, 2004
New York Times: High power hummingbirds; Henry Fountain; December 7, 2004
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: ; Kolibris im höhenflug; Diemut Klärner; February 2004
bild der wissenschaft: Wie kolibris in großen höhen in der luft bleiben; December 8, 2003
Journal of Experimental Biology: Inside JEB: How hummingbirds scale the heights; Kathryn Phillips; September 2003
New Scientist: Go for the Glow; February 2002
Biophotonics International: UV reflection attracts birds to ripe fruits; March 2002
Portland Magazine: Discovering: the leap; Winter 2001
Pulse of the Planet Hummingbirds: intro; April 2000
Pulse of the Planet Hummingbirds: physiology; April 2000
Pulse of the Planet Hummingbirds: antisocial; April 2000
Austin American-Statesman: Wings in the wind; February 17, 1997
Austin American-Statesman: Tiny guests depart UT research; September 1997
Online lectures
The Center for Integrative Movement Sciences Integrative Organismal Modeling of Movement workshop series: Seeing and doing: inferring control for vision and action; Doug Altshuler and Nidhi Seethapathi; March 17, 2022
International Ornithological Union webinar series: Visual control of avian flight; Doug Altshuler; January 26, 2022
International Ornithological Union webinar series: Visual control of avian flight; Doug Altshuler; January 26, 2022