High altitudes hamper hummingbirds’ ability to manoeuvre: UBC research

Hummingbirds’ ability to accelerate and turn diminishes at high altitudes, but it isn’t a lack of oxygen to the body that limits the birds’ performance — it’s physics.

“It appears the mechanics of high-altitude flight slow down the birds well before their respiratory system has an issue handling the lower-oxygen environment,” said zoologist Paolo Segre, author of a new study in Current Biology.