A) Wing bones <\/b><\/p>

The leading wing edge is made up of the radius, ulna and humerus limb bones. These create the frame for the primary (flight) feathers. <\/p>

B) Upstroke <\/b><\/p>

The wings are kept slightly folded as they are pushed up to reduce air resistance.<\/p>

C) Supracoracoideus muscles<\/strong><\/p>

These muscles push the wing up, and account for 10-15 percent of a bird’s bodyweight<\/p>

D) Eyes<\/b><\/p>

Birds need excellent eyesight to navigate at speed while in the air. <\/p>

E) Pectorial muscles <\/b><\/p>

These pull the wings down, and account for 15-25 per cent of a bird\u2019s bodyweight. <\/p>

F) Keel <\/b><\/p>

The \u2018breastbone\u2019 provides an anchor for the flight muscles.<\/p>

G) Tail <\/b><\/p>

The feathered tail makes a great rudder<\/p>

H) Primary feathers <\/b><\/p>

These are the flight feathers and create the curved \u2018aerofoil\u2019 shape that generates lift. <\/p><\/div><\/div>

<\/b><\/h2>
<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-why-birds-wing-shapes-vary\"><b>Why birds\u2019 wing shapes vary? <\/b><\/h2><p class=\"p1\">So that they perfectly suit a species\u2019 lifestyle \u2013 here are the most common shapes:<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-short-and-rounded-wings\">Short and rounded wings<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"342\" height=\"218\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/01\/Short-and-round-bird-wings-0dc61f2.png\" alt=\"Short and round bird wings\" class=\"wp-image-73596\"\/><\/figure><p class=\"p1\">These are ideal for manoeuvring in tight places, so they are perfect for woodland raptors like sparrowhawks, and most passerines, or perching birds.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-pointed-wings\">Pointed wings<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"448\" height=\"228\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/01\/Screenshot-2023-01-25-at-14.17.37-8a111f8.png\" alt=\"Pointed wings\" class=\"wp-image-73600\"\/><\/figure><p class=\"p1\">When flapped hard, these streamlined wings enable their owners \u2013 such as falcons and ducks \u2013 to reach tremendous speeds. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-long-and-thin-wings\">Long and thin wings<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"454\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/01\/Screenshot-2023-01-25-at-14.22.30-1c6ca36.png\" alt=\"long and thin wings\" class=\"wp-image-73604\"\/><\/figure><p class=\"p1\">These are ideal for birds like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/albatross-facts\">albatrosses<\/a>, which take advantage of air currents generated above the surface of the ocean to glide effortlessly for long periods. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-large-and-broad-wings\">Large and broad wings<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"458\" height=\"234\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/01\/Screenshot-2023-01-25-at-14.21.05-1963ceb.png\" alt=\"large and broad wings\" class=\"wp-image-73602\"\/><\/figure><p class=\"p1\">The large surface area allows bigger birds, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/whats-the-difference-between-a-buzzard-and-a-kite\">buzzards<\/a>, eagles and storks, to soar on thermals and save the energy of wing-flapping. The slots between the primary feathers minimise turbulence. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-what-are-feathers-made-of\"><b>What are feathers made of?<\/b><\/h2><p class=\"p2\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/how-to\/identify-wildlife\/how-to-identify-common-feathers\/\">Feathers<\/a><\/strong> are made from keratin (the same as our fingernails) and come in two forms \u2013 large, stiff vane feathers for flight and soft down feathers for insulation. The colours are made by pigments or tiny structures that scatter or reflect light.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading p1\" id=\"h-typical-feather-structure\"><b>Typical feather structure<\/b><\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"456\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2023\/01\/Screenshot-2023-01-25-at-14.24.15-938f533.png\" alt=\"Feather structure\" class=\"wp-image-73606\"\/><\/figure><p class=\"p2\">Barbs (1) branch from the main shaft or rachis (2). Barbs are hooked together by Barbules (3), strengthening the structure. A down feather has hookless barbules and is less rigid. <\/p><p class=\"p2\"><strong>Discover more fascinating bird facts<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/do-ostriches-really-bury-their-heads-in-the-sand\">Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/strange-flightless-birds\">10 flightless birds: Meet some curious – and often strange – land-based avian wonders<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/how-flocks-of-birds-are-able-to-fly-close-together\">How do flocks of birds fly so close together without colliding? The mystery explained<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just how do birds stay in the air and fly? We take a look at a bird’s anatomy and dynamics <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":40489,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/08\/how-do-birds-fly-we-explain-how-they-get-and-stay-airborne-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Just how do birds stay in the air and fly? We take a look at a bird's anatomy and dynamics","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/40488"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

What do birds need to fly?<\/h2>
To take to the air, a bird needs:<\/p>

Wings <\/h3>
These elongated limb and \u2018finger\u2019 bones are the ideal frame for feathers<\/a>. They help to create an aerofoil \u2013 similar to the shape of an aeroplane\u2019s wing \u2013 which generates lift as the bird flies.<\/p>

Feathers <\/h3>
Lightweight, strong and flexible, feathers provide both the wing surface to allow flight and an insulating layer to keep the bird warm and dry. Their shape and coloration may also act as camouflage from predators or, especially in males, be used to attract mates. <\/p>

Lightweight skeleton <\/h3>
Fewer and lighter bones (partially hollow in some of the larger species) reduce the bird\u2019s overall weight, to make flight easier.<\/p>

Concentrated centre of gravity <\/h3>
Most of the bird\u2019s muscles and vital organs are located in the centre of its body to provide balance.<\/p>

What do birds need to fly?<\/h2>To take to the air, a bird needs:<\/p>

Wings <\/h3>These elongated limb and \u2018finger\u2019 bones are the ideal frame for feathers<\/a>. They help to create an aerofoil \u2013 similar to the shape of an aeroplane\u2019s wing \u2013 which generates lift as the bird flies.<\/p>

Feathers <\/h3>Lightweight, strong and flexible, feathers provide both the wing surface to allow flight and an insulating layer to keep the bird warm and dry. Their shape and coloration may also act as camouflage from predators or, especially in males, be used to attract mates. <\/p>

Lightweight skeleton <\/h3>Fewer and lighter bones (partially hollow in some of the larger species) reduce the bird\u2019s overall weight, to make flight easier.<\/p>

Concentrated centre of gravity <\/h3>Most of the bird\u2019s muscles and vital organs are located in the centre of its body to provide balance.<\/p>

What do birds need to fly?<\/h2>
To take to the air, a bird needs:<\/p>

Wings <\/h3>
These elongated limb and \u2018finger\u2019 bones are the ideal frame for feathers<\/a>. They help to create an aerofoil \u2013 similar to the shape of an aeroplane\u2019s wing \u2013 which generates lift as the bird flies.<\/p>

Feathers <\/h3>
Lightweight, strong and flexible, feathers provide both the wing surface to allow flight and an insulating layer to keep the bird warm and dry. Their shape and coloration may also act as camouflage from predators or, especially in males, be used to attract mates. <\/p>

Lightweight skeleton <\/h3>
Fewer and lighter bones (partially hollow in some of the larger species) reduce the bird\u2019s overall weight, to make flight easier.<\/p>

Concentrated centre of gravity <\/h3>
Most of the bird\u2019s muscles and vital organs are located in the centre of its body to provide balance.<\/p>