Bird Adaptations for Flight

Covering of the wings are light smooth feathers

1.Reduces the force of weight 2.Reduces the force of drag

Have beaks instead of boney jaws and teeth

1.Reduces the force of weight

All flying birds have an enlarged breastbone called a sternum for flight muscle attachment
1. Aids in the force of
thrust

The bodies of birds are streamlined

1. Reduces the force of
drag

Light bones. Filled with air sacs and thin, tiny crosspieces to make bones stronger
1. Reduces the force of
weight

Rigid skeleton to provide firm attachments for powerful flight muscles.

1. Aids in the force of
thrust

Planes have similar lightweight, streamlined, rigid structures for flight

Flight styles
Maneuverability - wren, stunt plane Speed - falcon, fighter jet Carrying loads - pelican, cargo plane Soaring - condor, glider

Lift
Speed Shape of the wing wing area bernoulli effect coanda effect Angle of attack Newtons third law of motion

Wing area
Increased speed along a larger wing area creates a longer path of air reducing air pressure creating more lift Larger wings produce greater lift than smaller wings. To compensate, smaller wing birds/planes need to fly faster to maintain the same lift as larger wings going faster

Question A light glider with large wings. Does it have to go fast or slow for lift? Question A heavier jet with small wings. Does it have to go fast or slow for lift?

How can you tell how fast a bird/plane must fly to maintain lift?
By WING LOADING. divide the weight by the wing area

A smaller wing load number tells you the bird/plane can fly slower while still maintaining lift.
Do thinking lab page 737

A smaller wing load number tells you the bird/plane is more maneuverable.

Aspect ratio
Found by dividing wingspan by average width.

Wings with high aspect ratios have greater lift and less drag. Low aspect ratio wings can turn more quickly and are more maneuverable.

Obtaining thrust
Gravity Flapping wings 1. Gliding 2. Fast forward flight 3. Slow forward flight 4. Combination of the three Running

Gliding
Birds with high aspect ratio can glide or soar almost motionless. They generally nest high on trees or ledges. And begin their thrust by jumping from their ledge.

Gliding continued
Ex: going down a ramp gravity gives the forward thrust To stay up for a long time, the angle between flight path and horizontal ground must be small, which reduces thrust. So drag force must be small. Hence, long skinny wings have high aspect ratio.

Fast Forward Flight

Wings move up and down Larger birds Slow moving wings Page 746

Slow Forward Flight

Wings move from side to side Smaller birds Fast moving wings Page 747

Combination
Most birds go between gliding and fast forward Larger birds gliding, fast forward Smaller birds gliding, slow forward Take off slow forward Flight combination Landing gliding, slow forward

Obtaining height
Bernoulli, coanda, speed, angle of attack Thermals upward flowing wind by convectional currents Updrafts land features pushes up wind