One thing that almost all human beings have wondered about is the incredible power of different birds to fly, flapping their beautiful wings, seemingly defying gravity, and flowing with the wind.The beautiful sight of a flying bird is the result of different mechanisms in its body and is more complex than the working of any man-made machine. It includes the balancing of aerodynamics, wing loading, the functionality of the muscular system, the action of the wings as an airfoil, and more!Flight is a basic method of locomotion, migration, feeding, and breeding in most bird species, or at least any that have the capability to fly. Some birds, like eagles, hawks and kites, have wings and are adapted to glide high in the sky whereas other birds like penguins, kiwi birds, and ostriches cannot fly at all. All flying birds have a set of different styles including gliding flight and flapping flight. Bird flight starts by generating energy and taking off with the help of their flight feathers, followed by maintaining the lift force and drag force and flying freely in periodic motion through the air for miles.Their wings are the center-point of the mechanism and many bird species have acquired specialized wings over millions of years, enabling them to fly high in the air. The shape of the bird, its wing, tail, and hollow bones all work together to help a bird take off from any surface, balance its weight, overcome gravity and cover a long distance in flight. The flight speed depends on the bird itself, its wings, the direction of the wind, and more. While flying, the lift force acts upwards, gravity acts downwards, the drag force acts backward, and the thrust acts forwards, resulting in the bird’s steady movement in the air. It’s interesting that an airplane flies with generally the same principle as a bird, except for the fact that airplanes do not flap their wings to stay aloft as birds do!If you found these amaze-wing bird facts interesting why not try reading a few other fun articles related to birds about when baby birds leave the nest or if birds have tongues here on Kidadl?The Evolution Of Bird FlightBirds are believed to have evolved from Theropoda dinosaurs. There are four main hypotheses regarding how they first started flying: from the trees down, from the ground up, wing-assisted incline running and the pouncing proavis model.The trees down flight theory assumes that birds first glided down from a tree and then developed the rest of the support system for a smooth flight. According to the from the ground up theory, the ancestors of birds had feathers developed for a different purpose but these later evolved to be used for flying by providing lift. The wing-assisted incline running theory suggests that the wings of a bird exhibited aerodynamic functionality as a reflex to run and escape from predators. Finally, the pouncing proavis model proposes that birds’ flight mechanisms developed as a result of the slow advancement of a leaping tactic that birds used during attacks, developing to pouncing and swooping, which finally led to a flying ability.Why do birds fly?Birds have the ability to flap around in the air thanks to various reasons including hollow bones, feathery wings, a supportive muscular system, a flexible streamlined body, aerodynamics, and so on. This unique mechanism helps them in moving around, finding food, and saving themselves from predators.The body of a bird is often streamlined to reduce friction, their hollow bones make the bird’s body lightweight, wing loading helps in increasing the speed of motion, and the bird’s wings and feathers create a lift force that acts upwards that makes the flight smooth. The tail of the bird helps in times of turns, strong bones help when flapping the wings and large lungs make them capable of breathing and producing energy. The ability to soar high in the air is a great advantage to them as it helps them when navigating across a long-distance, keeping themselves safe from predators, and more. Some words that are often used to describe birds flying are gliding, soaring, hovering, and winging!How do birds fly?The flight of a bird depends on its wings and the way in which these are used. Birds have specialized feathers on their wings called flight feathers which help in the process. Their wings have a big upfront section that is tapered towards the back creating a curved surface that acts as an airfoil. When a bird flies, air flows over and under the wings and the shape of the bird’s wing forces the air to put less pressure on the top of the wing. This pushes the air at the bottom of the wing upward, creating lift force which is one of the main reasons why birds are able to fly.Bird wings act as propellers and the aerodynamic forces that act on them help them to fly. The lift force acting upwards keeps birds in the air by supporting their weight and overcoming gravity that acts downwards. The thrust force helps the bird in moving forward and the drag force acts backward against the flapping movement of the wings. A higher wing loading (that is the total mass of a bird divided by its total wing area) helps in achieving the lift to drag ratio quickly, resulting in an increased speed during flight. Birds also have large lungs and strong muscles to enable flapping as this requires a lot of energy. The tail acts as a control surface for turning or staying in the air while air currents are shifting. Once they are high up in the air they can move from one point to another almost effortlessly.Types Of FlightThere are different bird species with distinct types of flight. For example, albatrosses usually prefer gliding and soaring by stretching out their long narrow wings and staying aloft in the air for a long distance without flapping their wings. At the same time, a hummingbird continuously flaps its wings throughout its flight. Some common birds like crows are seen flying in a straight line.Gliding is when a bird glides through the air because the upward lift is equal to the weight. This helps in soaring high in the sky and gaining momentum without losing much energy. Soaring is somewhat similar to a glide, but here atmospheric factors like updrafts and wind are exploited instead of the potential energy created by the body. Flapping flight is when a bird flaps its wings throughout its journey. This forms thrust which counteracts drag and boosts the speed. Bounding is the alternative use of flapping the wings and it involves folding them against the body at particular points. This pattern reduces the energy required by reducing drag.The Basic Mechanics Of Bird FlightThe basic principles of a bird’s journey in the sky are similar to how an airplane flies. Both depend on the aerodynamic forces of lift and drag. It also depends on the wind as birds have the tendency to turn updrafts and other atmospheric conditions to work in their favor.A bird takes off from land by jumping or running (depending on its size) and enters the air when the air puts pressure on the bottom wing, creating an upward lift that resists the drag force which acts backward. It balances the weight by resisting gravity. The thrust force moves it forward. Birds may either flap their wings or take advantage of the different atmospheric changes to soar high in the sky. Sometimes they may flap their wings as well as glide. They land on the ground by slowing down their wing flapping, and in the case of larger birds, they tend to prefer landing on water or in windy conditions.Take-off And LandingTake-off is a high energy-consuming process. It is different for large and small species and landing is difficult for birds with high wing loads.Birds create lift by generating sufficient airflow across their wings. Small birds take off with just an upward jump but larger ones have to make a run to take off into the air. For landing, birds stop flapping their wings and angle their wings to slow down. They use their feet and legs as air breaks to land. For larger birds, due to their higher wing loading, it’s easier to land on water or into the wind, using their feet as skids.Adaptions For FlightA bird’s morphology is something that makes it unique and adaptable, allowing it to take a flight in the sky as a defense mechanism. Birds’ structural differences helps them to deal with pressure and atmospheric conditions as they soar high in the sky.A bird’s anatomical features are adapted for flight. Its hollow skeleton reduces its overall weight, its wings with feathers help in dealing with aerodynamics, and its streamlined form helps to resist friction. A lightweight beak, powerful muscles, and the airfoil structure of the wing all also help to make a bird’s journey in the sky smooth and efficient.The Use And Loss Of Flight In Modern BirdsA bird’s ability to advance into midair helps them in foraging, locomotion, migration, nesting, and more. But, some birds have turned flightless over the course of evolution.A bird’s overall mechanism helps them in moving from one place to another effortlessly. It also helps them to find food, safeguards them from potential predators, helps to create nests, and more. But some birds lost the capability of using their wings after becoming isolated in places where there were no recognizable predators. Penguins, kiwis, and ostriches do not have the ability to take a ride in the sky, for example. Flightlessness is often the result of selective breeding. Over a period of time, many birds that could originally fly lost this ability because they stopped using the mechanism due to natural or man-made reasons. Therefore, the next generations that evolved started expressing minor changes in their morphology and functioning, eventually leading to total flightlessness.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our article about bird flying mechanisms then why not take a look at whether birds can eat grapes or discover some slaty-headed parakeet facts?
One thing that almost all human beings have wondered about is the incredible power of different birds to fly, flapping their beautiful wings, seemingly defying gravity, and flowing with the wind.
