Hummingbirds adorably tiny bird that zooms around at ridiculously high speeds looking for sugary nectar to drink. They’re also the only bird able to hover in one place using solely their own strength and not external factors like wind. This neat trick helps hummingbirds remain stable while slurping down a meal, greatly depends on the visual stability of their surroundings. And scientists have just discovered how to hack it.

Two zoologists from the University of British Columbia decided to see how stable the hummingbird’s hover remained when their visual environment changed. While hummingbirds were trying to feed, they placed a moving black and white spiral and took note at how the birds fared. They they didn’t do well. Even when the spirals moved very slowly, the wee birds weren’t able to hover in the same place as before. Even giving time to the birds to adjust to the movement didn’t help. When they combined the moving spirals with stationary patterns, the birds regained some stability, but not a lot.

But why would even slight movement trigger such odd behavior? “We think the hummingbird’s brain is so precisely wired to process movement in its field of vision that it gets overwhelmed by even small stimuli during hovering,” said Benjamin Goller, one of the scientists.

This is the first time scientists have focused particularly on moving visual patterns in relation to birds’ flight. Based on the conclusions of the study, the researchers are looking forward to understanding how birds’ vision impacts their movement, specifically from hovering in place to zooming around.

And, if nothing else, they’ll have some Dr. Evil fun switching on and off the hummingbird’s hover.