9 November 2011 Last updated at 11:08 GMT
The delicate bird shakes its head with such acceleration that it can reach a g-force of 34 (Formula 1 racing cars typically reach less than 6 g).
This mid-air manoeuvre takes just 0.1 seconds and removes almost all of the water droplets from its feathers.
The research is published in the journal of the Royal Society Interface.
Footage courtesy of the University of California, Berkeley
Slow-motion footage has revealed how a hovering hummingbird copes with wet weather.