The tiny birds create a 3D body map when neurons in the brain 'fire' as gusts of air touch their wings, according to the findings.
They found that hummingbirds create a 3D map of their body when neurons in two specific spots of the forebrain fire - as gusts of air touch feathers on the leading edge of their wings and skin of their legs.
Most of what scientists know about how touch is processed in the brain comes from studies on mammals, but bird brains are very different from mammal brains.
'We showed exactly where different kinds of touch activate specific neurons in these regions and how touch is organized in their forebrains,' said Professor Duncan Leitch.
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