New research shows that the Anna’s hummingbird can function under the influence \u2013 up to a point <\/p>
When a hummingbird<\/strong><\/a> sips nectar<\/a><\/strong> from a flower, it\u2019s drinking more than just sweet stuff \u2013 there\u2019s a drop of the hard stuff in there, too.<\/p>\n Nectar, like overripe fruit, is prone to fermentation, producing alcohol.<\/p>\n Happily, new research suggests that the birds might know when they\u2019ve had enough.<\/p>\n Biologists at the University of California Berkeley<\/a> have tested the preferences of Anna\u2019s hummingbirds to different concentrations of alcohol in sugar solutions provided at artificial feeders.<\/p>\n They found that the birds are as happy swigging on a solution containing one per cent alcohol as they are on an alcohol-free tipple.<\/p>\n But when presented with an alcohol content of two per cent, they only drink half as much.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u201cBecause they\u2019re drinking half the volume, the dosage of alcohol is about the same,\u201d says Julia Choi, lead author of the study published in Royal Society Open Science<\/a><\/em>. \u201cThey seem to know how to pace themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Which is probably just as well. Because the precise coordination required for their gymnastic hovering flight might be expected to be impaired considerably when under the influence.<\/p>\n Please note external videos may contain ads:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n