Why can birds fly
Have you ever wondered how the little birds manage to fly, why don't they just fall to the ground? To clarify this question, you can think back to your school days, in biology class this topic is often addressed. There are a few key things that are different about birds that allow them to fly.
The biology of flying birds
To answer the question of why birds can fly, one must first consider the biology of the birds, because here lies the explanation of the question.
- Birds don't have arms, their forelimbs have evolved into wings, which can be used to generate propulsion and lift, both of which are needed for flight.
- The skeleton of birds is very light in structure, the bones are perforated with pneumatic cavities, which helps to reduce weight. The weight of the bones makes up only 8 to 9% of the total mass of the bird's body, in other mammals the weight is about 30 %.
- The sternum has a protruding keel and is also very large. It serves as a starting point for the also very large flight muscles, which are required for sustained flying.
- Other important aspects of bird biology are membranes, feathers, muscles and tendons. The flight membranes fill the spaces between the bones and at the same time act as the anchoring point of the bones many different springs, an internal band of connective tissue always keeps the springs in the right place Position. The large flight feathers are the largest, they intertwine and thus provide lift during a wing beat, which pushes the birds up. A sophisticated system of muscles and tendons ensures constant flapping of the wings, which can vary greatly depending on the type of flight.
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Because of their skeleton and their front extremities, which are equipped with large flight feathers, birds can fly, because the sufficient amount of air is beaten under the wings, the low weight in the movement can carry.
So the birds can fly
Birds fly by flapping their wings to create an anti-gravity force that is greater, thus keeping the bird aloft. This is achieved through the curvature of the wings, because this creates a longer path for the air to sweep along the wing on the upper side than is the case on the underside. This creates suction on the top and pressure on the bottom. Both forces act vertically upwards, i.e. exactly against gravity, which pulls the bird upwards. It literally hangs in the air and moves further forward by beating its wings. Does he change position? The position of its wings also changes the suction-pressure ratio, the bird can start to descend and start to land.
