The flight principle of birds

The basic types of bird flight Although the structure and function of flying animals vary widely, the basic types of flight can be divided into three categories, namely gliding, soaring and flapping-wing flight.

1, gliding

Floating downward from a certain height. The condition that gliding can last is: weight/speed = moving distance/height loss. The higher the lift-drag ratio, the smaller the gliding angle and the slower the sinking, so there is a longer horizontal gliding distance. Flying fish, flying frogs, flying lizards and flying squirrels all belong to this type. The flapping flight of birds is often accompanied by gliding, especially before landing.

2. towering

A flight mode that obtains energy from airflow without consuming muscle contraction energy is generally divided into static flight and dynamic flight. The former uses the rising hot airflow or the updraft generated by obstacles (such as mountains and forests). Butterflies, dragonflies and some birds (such as eagles and crows) can use this vertical momentum and energy to generate thrust and lift. Dynamic gliding uses the horizontal dynamic airflow generated by the change of horizontal wind speed with time or height. Many large seabirds (such as albatrosses and seagulls) generally use this flight mode. When the wind blows over the sea surface, the closer it is to the sea surface, the more it is blocked by friction, so there are many shear layers in the gas layer about 45 meters high, and its wind speed reaches the highest speed from zero at the lowest point. Seabirds use this momentum to hover in the airflow and can fly all day without flapping their wings.

3, flapping wing flight

Flapping wings with developed muscle groups to generate energy is the most basic way for flying animals.