Bird or bat: comparing airframe design and flight performance.
(2009) In Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 4(1).- Abstract
- Birds and bats have evolved powered flight independently, which makes a comparison of evolutionary 'design' solutions potentially interesting. In this paper we highlight similarities and differences with respect to flight characteristics, including morphology, flight kinematics, aerodynamics, energetics and flight performance. Birds' size range is 0.002-15 kg and bats' size range is 0.002-1.5 kg. The wingbeat kinematics differ between birds and bats, which is mainly due to the different flexing of the wing during the upstroke and constraints by having a wing of feathers and a skin membrane, respectively. Aerodynamically, bats appear to generate a more complex wake than birds. Bats may be more closely adapted for slow maneuvering flight... (More)
- Birds and bats have evolved powered flight independently, which makes a comparison of evolutionary 'design' solutions potentially interesting. In this paper we highlight similarities and differences with respect to flight characteristics, including morphology, flight kinematics, aerodynamics, energetics and flight performance. Birds' size range is 0.002-15 kg and bats' size range is 0.002-1.5 kg. The wingbeat kinematics differ between birds and bats, which is mainly due to the different flexing of the wing during the upstroke and constraints by having a wing of feathers and a skin membrane, respectively. Aerodynamically, bats appear to generate a more complex wake than birds. Bats may be more closely adapted for slow maneuvering flight than birds, as required by their aerial hawking foraging habits. The metabolic rate and power required to fly are similar among birds and bats. Both groups share many characteristics associated with flight, such as for example low amounts of DNA in cells, the ability to accumulate fat as fuel for hibernation and migration, and parallel habitat-related wing shape adaptations. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1368034
- author
- Hedenström, Anders LU ; Johansson, Christoffer LU and Spedding, Geoffrey R
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
- volume
- 4
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 15001
- publisher
- IOP Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000265596700002
- scopus:64549092451
- ISSN
- 1748-3190
- DOI
- 10.1088/1748-3182/4/1/015001
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c5459549-ff57-4497-9bc6-3af1208b2365 (old id 1368034)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:38:16
- date last changed
- 2022-03-13 20:38:17
@article{c5459549-ff57-4497-9bc6-3af1208b2365,
abstract = {{Birds and bats have evolved powered flight independently, which makes a comparison of evolutionary 'design' solutions potentially interesting. In this paper we highlight similarities and differences with respect to flight characteristics, including morphology, flight kinematics, aerodynamics, energetics and flight performance. Birds' size range is 0.002-15 kg and bats' size range is 0.002-1.5 kg. The wingbeat kinematics differ between birds and bats, which is mainly due to the different flexing of the wing during the upstroke and constraints by having a wing of feathers and a skin membrane, respectively. Aerodynamically, bats appear to generate a more complex wake than birds. Bats may be more closely adapted for slow maneuvering flight than birds, as required by their aerial hawking foraging habits. The metabolic rate and power required to fly are similar among birds and bats. Both groups share many characteristics associated with flight, such as for example low amounts of DNA in cells, the ability to accumulate fat as fuel for hibernation and migration, and parallel habitat-related wing shape adaptations.}},
author = {{Hedenström, Anders and Johansson, Christoffer and Spedding, Geoffrey R}},
issn = {{1748-3190}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{IOP Publishing}},
series = {{Bioinspiration & Biomimetics}},
title = {{Bird or bat: comparing airframe design and flight performance.}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-3182/4/1/015001}},
doi = {{10.1088/1748-3182/4/1/015001}},
volume = {{4}},
year = {{2009}},
}