Adaptations in birds and insects

Skeleton -Lightweight skeleton -Mostly thin and hollow bones

Body Shape  Streamline shape  Smaller head and a wider body  Slender legs

Wings - The upper arm is short and thick, for powering the wing beat - The bend in the middle of the wing is actually the bird’s wrist. - The last joint of the wing is like our hand, but it has only one finger bone. - This holds all the long primary feathers used for flying. Curved on the top, flat on the bottom to create lift

Tail -The tail helps the bird with some lift and speed of flight and also with direction. -Uses the tail like a ship uses a rudder, steers the bird - Also keeps it balance.

Propulsion  Use their wings as the source of propulsion  With each motion the bird maintains flight As the wings beat, the primary flight feathers actually twist to provide thrust

Feathers  Feathers are incredibly strong and yet are incredibly flexible. To allow both lift and forward movement, feathers can bend at almost a right angles.  Contour feathers: small feathers that cover the body, wings, and tail.  Flight feathers: feathers used in flight  Semi-plumes: feathers used to create shape for the bird and provide some warmth  Down feathers: soft under-feathers that provide insulation for warmth for a bird.  Bristles: feathers used as a touch sensor or funnel that make the bird reflexively snap up food.

Other?  Feathers  Ability to maintain the energy needed to fly  ie) high metabolic rate

What about penguins? - Penguins have very small wings, yet are very heavy & fat. - special bone structure and the blubber that they carry -Penguin feathers are short and tight to keep water away from the skin and to create a smooth surface to lower drag. -Flying birds have very different feathers that are fluffy to trap air for insulation

Insects  Body shape  Wings  Light in mass  Larger wings are usually used for distance and not for speed

-------- Four Forces of Flight

 If lift becomes greater than the weight, the plane would …  If thrust becomes greater than the drag, the plane would…  If lift, weight, thrust and drag become equal, the plane would..  If thrust becomes less than drag, the plane would..  If lift becomes less than weight, the plane would… In a flying airplane…

 What about a wings shape makes it so they can fly optimally Wings (Airfoils)

 Curved on the top and flat on the bottom  Designed so that air flows over the top of the wing faster than it flows under the wing