{"id":206,"date":"2026-05-02T16:53:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T20:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=206"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T20:54:16","slug":"episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 4.5: The Hum of the Hummingbird"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hummingbirds have some of the most extreme adaptations in the animal world. In this episode, we explore how hummingbirds are able to hover, fly backward, and even generate lift on both the downstroke and the upstroke of flight. We also reveal the hidden cost of this unique flight behavior: a metabolism so fast that they must constantly eat, storing this food as fat before night, and entering a state called torpor to survive. Finally, we take a closer look at the hummingbirds found in North Carolina, the interesting migrations some of them make, and what you can do to attract one to your own backyard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hummingbirds have some of the most extreme adaptations in the animal world. In this episode, we explore how hummingbirds are able to hover, fly backward, and even generate lift on both the downstroke and the upstroke of flight. We also reveal the hidden cost of this unique flight behavior: a metabolism so fast that they [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2444,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/uncc-birds.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/season04\/The-Hum-of-the-Hummingbird.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"8.3M","filesize_raw":"8700228","date_recorded":"2026-05-02 16:53:32","explicit":"","block":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"tags":[],"series":[5],"class_list":["post-206","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","series-default-podcast"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1037\/2021\/02\/LOGO-2.jpg?fit=1400%2C1400&ssl=1","download_link":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-download\/206\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird","player_link":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-player\/206\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird","audio_player":"<a class=\"wp-embedded-audio\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-player\/206\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird\">https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-player\/206\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird<\/a>","episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/show\/biology-of-birds","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/winging-it\/id1552737444","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"4OMfZvHeGN\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird\/\">Episode 4.5: The Hum of the Hummingbird<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast\/episode-4-5-the-hum-of-the-hummingbird\/embed\/#?secret=4OMfZvHeGN\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Episode 4.5: The Hum of the Hummingbird&#8221; &#8212; Winging it\" data-secret=\"4OMfZvHeGN\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! 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