Hummingbird’s singing feathers

The BBC is reporting on some new research that show the characteristic chirp of the Anna’s Hummingbird is most likely made by vibrations of the tail feathers during high speed descents. It’s interesting stuff, and I’ve got to say, I’m both worried and intrigued by the statement (emphasis added):

“We use high-speed video of diving birds, experimental manipulation on wild birds and laboratory experiments on individual feathers to show that the dive sound is made by tail feathers,” they explained.