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25 September 2026

Most birds can fly forward.

The hummingbird apparently never received the instruction.

It can fly backwards.

Not just for a brief moment, but with remarkable control. Its unusual wing movement allows it to hover in one place, move forward, move sideways and reverse through the air.

That is already impressive.

But the hummingbird has another trick. Its wings can beat dozens of times every second, allowing it to remain almost perfectly still while feeding from a flower.

Perhaps that is why watching one can feel slightly unreal.

One moment there is an empty garden.

The next, a tiny blur appears beside a flower, hangs there for a few seconds and disappears.

No dramatic entrance. No farewell.

Just a flash of wings.

Nature has produced larger birds, faster birds and birds that travel much farther.

But the hummingbird seems to have been given its own set of rules.

Including one that says:

Forward is optional.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah5, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com