Comparison of wing morphology in three birds of prey: Correlations with differences in flight behavior

2006 ◽  
Vol 267 (5) ◽  
pp. 612-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine L. Corvidae ◽  
Richard O. Bierregaard ◽  
Susan E. Peters
Keyword(s):  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Birds Of Prey ◽  
Wing Morphology

scholarly journals Wing Morphology and Flight Behavior of Some North American Hummingbird Species

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 872-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gary Stiles ◽  
Douglas L. Altshuler ◽  
Robert Dudley
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
North American ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Wing Disc ◽  
Territorial Behavior ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Reversed Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract We explored the relationship between wing morphology and flight behavior with respect to sex and age in five species of North American hummingbirds. We first measured the length, chord or “width,“ and area of entire hummingbird wing planforms. We then calculated additional parameters of wing shape and size, including aspect and shape ratios, degree of taper or “pointedness,“ wing loading, and wing disc loading (WDL). Wings of adult males are not only shorter but also more narrow and tapered than those of adult or immature females; immature males have larger wings and lower WDL, more like those of females. A proposed relationship between WDL and territorial behavior and dominance is not supported, given that adult and immature males show similar feeding territoriality outside the breeding season but females rarely do. The more extreme and divergent wings of adult males probably reflect sexual selection in connection with aerial displays that include species-specific sound effects given during the breeding season. North American species are unusual among hummingbirds in showing reversed sexual size-dimorphism (males smaller, with relatively shorter wings), a feature shared with some other small hummingbirds, notably the “Pygmornis“ hermits. Attempts to explain hummingbird foraging and territorial behavior on the basis of differences in WDL have failed because many aspects of wing morphology, physiology, and flight behavior were not taken into account. Several wing parameters appear more related to other modes of flight than to strategies of nectar exploitation, and the morphology of any given wing represents a compromise between the often conflicting aerodynamic demands of different flight modes. Understanding hummingbird flight will require broad comparative studies of wing morphology and wingbeat kinematics in relation to flight behavior, and new theoretical models and experimental data will be needed to elucidate physiological and aerodynamic mechanisms underlying forward flight and maneuvering. Morfología Alar y Comportamiento de Vuelo de Unas Especies de Colibríes de Norteamérica

scholarly journals Adaptive shifts underlie the divergence in wing morphology in bombycoid moths

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Ronald Aiello ◽  
Milton Tan ◽  
Usama Bin Sikandar ◽  
Alexis J Alvey ◽  
Burhanuddin Bhinderwala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flight Control ◽  
Power Reduction ◽  
Flapping Flight ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Feeding Behaviors ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Fixed Energy ◽  
Adaptive Shifts ◽  
And Behavior

The evolution of flapping flight is linked to the prolific success of insects. Across Insecta, wing morphology diversified, strongly impacting aerodynamic performance. In the presence of ecological opportunity, discrete adaptive shifts and early bursts are two processes hypothesized to give rise to exceptional morphological diversification. Here, we use the sister-families Sphingidae and Saturniidae to answer how the evolution of aerodynamically important traits is linked to clade divergence and through what process(es) these traits evolve. Many agile Sphingidae evolved hover-feeding behaviors, while adult Saturniidae lack functional mouth parts and rely on a fixed energy budget as adults. We find that Sphingidae underwent an adaptive shift in wing morphology coincident with life history and behavior divergence, evolving small high aspect-ratio wings advantageous for power reduction that can be moved at high frequencies, beneficial for flight control. In contrast, Saturniidae, which do not feed as adults, evolved large wings and morphology which surprisingly does not reduce aerodynamic power, but could contribute to their erratic flight behavior, aiding in predator avoidance. We suggest that after the evolution of flapping flight, diversification of wing morphology can be potentiated by adaptative shifts, shaping the diversity of wing morphology across insects.

scholarly journals WING MORPHOLOGY AND FLIGHT BEHAVIOR OF SOME NORTH AMERICAN HUMMINGBIRD SPECIES

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 872 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Gary Stiles ◽  
Douglas L. Altshuler ◽  
Robert Dudley
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Wing Morphology

scholarly journals Functional Morphology of Gliding Flight II. Morphology Follows Predictions of Gliding Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1297-1308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A Rader ◽  
Tyson L Hedrick ◽  
Yanyan He ◽  
Lindsay D Waldrop
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Power ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Gliding Flight ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The evolution of wing morphology among birds, and its functional consequences, remains an open question, despite much attention. This is in part because the connection between form and function is difficult to test directly. To address this deficit, in prior work, we used computational modeling and sensitivity analysis to interrogate the impact of altering wing aspect ratio (AR), camber, and Reynolds number on aerodynamic performance, revealing the performance landscapes that avian evolution has explored. In the present work, we used a dataset of three-dimensionally scanned bird wings coupled with the performance landscapes to test two hypotheses regarding the evolutionary diversification of wing morphology associated with gliding flight behavior: (1) gliding birds would exhibit higher wing AR and greater chordwise camber than their non-gliding counterparts; and (2) that two strategies for gliding flight exist, with divergent morphological conformations. In support of our first hypothesis, we found evidence of morphological divergence in both wing AR and camber between gliders and non-gliders, suggesting that wing morphology of birds that utilize gliding flight is under different selective pressures than the wings of non-gliding taxa. Furthermore, we found that these morphological differences also yielded differences in coefficient of lift measured both at the maximum lift to drag ratio and at minimum sinking speed, with gliding taxa exhibiting higher coefficient of lift in both cases. Minimum sinking speed was also lower in gliders than non-gliders. However, contrary to our hypothesis, we found that the maximum ratio of the coefficient of lift to the coefficient of drag differed between gliders and non-gliders. This may point to the need for gliders to maintain high lift capability for takeoff and landing independent of gliding performance or could be due to the divergence in flight styles among gliders, as not all gliders are predicted to optimize either quantity. However, direct evidence for the existence of two morphologically defined gliding flight strategies was equivocal, with only slightly stronger support for an evolutionary model positing separate morphological optima for these strategies than an alternative model positing a single peak. The absence of a clear result may be an artifact of low statistical power owing to a relatively small sample size of gliding flyers expected to follow the “aerial search” strategy.

scholarly journals Range of motion in the avian wing is strongly associated with flight behavior and body mass

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. eaaw6670 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. B. Baliga ◽  
I. Szabo ◽  
D. L. Altshuler
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Range Of Motion ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Emergent Property ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Avian Flight ◽  
New Framework

Avian wing shape is highly variable across species but only coarsely associated with flight behavior, performance, and body mass. An underexplored but potentially explanatory feature is the ability of birds to actively change wing shape to meet aerodynamic and behavioral demands. Across 61 species, we found strong associations with flight behavior and mass for range of motion traits but not wing shape and strikingly different associations for different aspects of motion capability. Further, static morphology exhibits high phylogenetic signal, whereas range of motion shows greater evolutionary lability. These results suggest a new framework for understanding the evolution of avian flight: Rather than wing morphology, it is range of motion, an emergent property of morphology, that is predominantly reshaped as flight strategy and body size evolve.

Wing morphology and flight behavior of pelecaniform seabirds

2007 ◽  
Vol 268 (10) ◽  
pp. 866-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Brewer ◽  
Fritz Hertel
Keyword(s):  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Wing Morphology
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