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Flight and Other Locomotion in Birds
Flight and Other Locomotion in Birds
Flight and Other Locomotion in Birds
birds
Lift of a wing
• Bernoulli effect – pressure is inversely
related to number of particles moving in a
single direction (fluids).
Vacuum
If angle of attack > ~5°, wing starts to produce vorticies. These can lead to “stall”
Solution = alula (bastard wing)
• Particularly important at
low speeds and high
angles of attack
A
1°s
Open-billed Stork
• Landing
Eoaluavis
• Sanz et al. 1996 Nature
• Eoalulavis hoyasi
• Los Hoyas, Spain
• Goldfinch sized bird
• 115mya
• 30my after Archaeopteryx
• = low speeds
• = high maneuverability
Di - drag
Ve - Airspeed
Profile Drag
Airspeed
Drag Curve
Earls 2000
• Hummingbirds
– 46-59%
– Variability
depends upon
motivation
• Autonomous – 59%
• Escape – 47%
• Aggressive (chasing
conspecific male) – 46%
“Obstruction lift”
Or “slope soaring”
• Hawk mountain
east
Kettle valley
Dynamic Soaring
• 1 - climb
(windward
flight);
• 2 - upper
curve (change
of flight
direction to
leeward);
• 3 - descent
(leeward
flight); &
• 4 - lower
curve (change
of flight
direction to
windward)
(Sachs 2005).
video
3. Flapping flight
• Video of a starling in a wind-tunnel
• Downstroke (“power stroke”) – flex wing depressors - lift.
• Upstroke (“recovery stroke”) – flex wing elevators - minimize drag.
– Slotting
Flap-glide Flap-bound
low
high
Note on metabolism and flight
Predicted
Observed
Other forms of locomotion in birds
• Running, walking, hopping, waddling
– Head bobbing
– Ostriches
• Climbing
– Nuthatches, woodpeckers
• Swimming
– Ducks
• Diving
– Penguins, Auks