NATURAL FLIGHT:
BIOLOGY &
PHYSICS
A Web page by Roy J. Beckemeyer
Last updated: 26 March 2011.
The photograph to the right shows many of the variable-geometry
aspects of a bird's wings. Airplanes have flaps, slats and other exotic
movable devices to alter the size and shape and thereby the flow of air over the
wing to allow flight at a variety of airspeeds. Most of those devices can
be found, in prototype form, in the wings of birds.
Photo by Roy J. Beckemeyer, Asian Openbill Stork (Anastomus
oscitans), one of thousands nesting at Wat Phai Lom Buddhist Monastery near
Bangkok, Thailand. 15 January, 2000.
FLIGHT
IN NATURE
(Photo at right taken at Blackfire Ranch, NM in Aug. 2000
using 70-200mm Sigma f2.8 lens with a 2x telextender on a Nikon camera without
flash. Aeschna palmata dragonfly hovering at lake edge. Fore
wings on downstroke, hind wings on upstroke. Photo by Roy J. Beckemeyer.)
The following links are to pages relating to work I have been doing in areas
directly or indirectly dealing with the flight of insects, birds, bats or
pterosaurs:
- VIDEO SEQUENCES OF INSECTS AND BIRDS IN FLIGHT (mpg files):
- YouTube
VIDEO of a
damselfly, Enallagma civile, taking off from a perch - 1000 fps
- Another YouTube
VIDEO of a damselfly
(Enallagma civile) take-off -
1000 fps
- YouTube
VIDEO of a dragonfly
(Pachydiplax longipennis) male in rapid yawing turn in
territorial defense - 1000 fps. For a copy of my paper on this subject:
Beckemeyer, R. J.
2009. Kinematics of a territorial
defense maneuver by the dragonfly Pachydiplax longipennis (Odonata:
Anisoptera: Libellulidae). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of
Science. 112(3-4): 169-180.
please email the address listed at the bottom of this page.
- (The above 1000 fps high-speed video segments played back in slow
motion were taken by Roy Beckemeyer, Bill Wentz, and Velvet Hutson
using equipment loaned by the National
Institute for Aviation Research in developing exhibit content for displays
at Exploration Place, a science
museum in Wichita, Kansas.)
- PHOTOS OF VARIOUS BIRDS AND
INSECTS IN FLIGHT:
- More PHOTOS of birds and insects flying.
- Below are some additional photos and photo sequences of Odonata flight.
- Photo of Protoneura cara, a
damselfly, in flight above the Devil's River, Dolan Falls, TX, at the DSA
2001 post trip in July. The hind wings are forward, and have begun
their back stroke, the fore wings are back, and have not quite reached the
most aft position
- Photos of a pair of
Enallagma
exsulans in tandem flight, with the male and female flapping
nearly in synchrony with one another.
- Link HERE to see some of the photos of
L.
composita in tandem flight as well as photos of a single female
ovipositing. On this page the photos can be more easily compared,
as they are on the same web page. For a copy of my paper on this
subject: Beckemeyer, R. J. 2004. Notes on
behavior and mechanics of scooping oviposition in Libellula
composita (Hagen) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae). Odonatologica.
33(1): 11-23. please email the address listed at the
bottom of this page.
- Link HERE to see photos of
Sympetrum
corruptum in tandem and oviposition flight, including an abrupt dive in
which the male appears to be dragging the female behind him.
- BIOMECHANICS REFERENCES:
- SPECIFIC STUDIES:
Link here to series of articles from ARGIA: The Newsletter
of The Dragonfly Society of The Americas on dragonly flight.
LINKS TO OTHER SITES OF
INTEREST:
Return to top of page
Return to "windsofkansas" Home Page
The
Grassland Biome - Biomechanics - Great
Plains Biodiversity - Insects - Fossil
Insects - World Biodiversity - Personal
Info
