Hummingbird wing size/metabolism

Hummingbirds have also adapted for flight. In order to fly they must generate enough lift. Generating more lift requires either increasing the velocity of the wings movement or increasing the wing area. However, in study looking at the correlation between wing size and metabolic rate the wing size relative to body size did not correlate with metabolic rate during hovering. Overall hummingbirds may not reduce metabolic expenditure by manipulating wing size.