The only bird that can fly backwards is the Hummingbird, which can also fly up, down, and sideways, as well as hovering in one place. These tiny, fast fliers have wing muscles that make up about one third of their entire mass. Hummingbirds have evolved a flying style that resembles that of bumblebees and hawk moths. Like the insects, the motion of their wings resembles the movement of a helicopter's rotors, but instead of rotating around they trace a flattened, sideways figure-8. The wings' internal joints are fused together and the only bending happens at the bird's shoulders. To fly backwards, sideways, or forward a hummingbird slightly changes the angle at which the wings are held. When hovering in place the bird makes extremely tiny adjustments to compensate for changing breezes. They can also fly straight up or enter a power dive at up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph). More about hummingbirds: http://www.portalproductions.com/h/ http://www.hummingbird.org/ Regards, Mikey. Spectemur Agendo.