Swifts Form V-Shaped Wings While Dipping in Water to Fine-Tune Balance.

ABSTRACT: Swifts, a distinctive avian cohort, have garnered widespread attention owing to their exceptional flight agility. While their aerial prowess is well documented, the challenge swifts encounter while imbibing water introduces an intriguing complexity. The act of water uptake potentially disrupts their flight equilibrium, yet the mechanisms enabling these birds to maintain stability during this process remain enigmatic. In this study, we employed high-speed videography to observe swifts' water-drinking behavior. Notably, we observed that the swift adopts a dynamic V-shaped wing configuration during water immersion with the ability to modulate the V-shaped angle, thereby potentially fine-tuning their balance. To delve deeper, we utilized a three-dimensional laser scanner to meticulously constr

SUBMITTER: Cui S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11351436 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature