do all birds have wings

All birds have wings. Even flightless birds, which are descended from flying ancestors, use their wings for balance, display, and other purposes.

The origins of these extraordinary appendages date back to the time of dinosaurs, but the cause of their development remains a mystery. Scientists, however, have some ideas. Some theorize that birds ancestors may have lived in trees, gliding between branches before gradually developing the capacity for true flight. Others posit that early bird-like dinosaurs evolved as fliers after developing the ability to hop into the air to evade predators. Its also been suggested that proto-wings may have evolved as an aid to assist their owners in running up steep slopes.

Regardless of how they originated, wings (and flight) are a key part of what makes birds so entrancing. If youre curious to learn what makes a bird wing a bird wing, how these amazing limbs work, and how different types of bird wings function, read on.

Birds have the same basic bones inside their wings that you have in your arms — the humerus in the upper part of the limb, the radius and ulna in the lower part of the limb, and the smaller, delicate bones of the hand and fingers.

In birds, natural selection has modified these bones for flight and birds “hand” bones have shrunk and merged over time. But if you take a close look at a bird skeleton, you can still make out the bones of three tiny “fingers” inside the wing tip.

Birds bones are also filled with tiny air pockets, another adaptation for flight, which make them lightweight while remaining very strong.

Birds also need powerful muscles in their chests and wings to make flying possible. To provide a bigger surface area for those hefty flight muscles to attach, birds have a bony plate with a ridge called a keel running down the middle of their breastbone.

Birds and humans use the same muscle, the pectoralis major, to lower their respective wings and arms. But to raise their wings, birds have a unique arrangement: A muscle called the supracoracoideus attaches to the keel at one end and, from there, loops up and over the shoulder and anchors to the top side of the wing to lift it up as it contracts. This pulley system helps make birds wing beats strong enough for flight.

The long feathers of a birds wing are collectively referred to as flight feathers or remiges. They are attached along the trailing edge of bird wings to create the surface needed for flight. These feathers are divided into two groups, the primaries, which are attached solidly to the birds “hand,” and the secondaries, which are attached to the birds forearm. A bird can manipulate its primaries a bit like you can move your fingers, flexing and rotating them to provide precise control.

The secondaries, the flight feathers on the inner section of the wing, help form an airfoil, the same front-to-back shape of an airplane wing. This is crucial for creating the lift necessary for a bird to become airborne.

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All birds have wings. Even birds without wings, descended from avian ancestors, utilize their wings for balance, show, and other functions.

These remarkable appendages have their roots in the prehistoric era, but it is still unknown what led to their development. Scientists, however, have some ideas. According to some theories, birds’ ancestors may have lived in trees and glided between branches before eventually learning how to fly. Others suggest that after learning to jump into the air to avoid predators, early dinosaurs that resembled birds evolved to become fliers. Additionally, it has been proposed that the ancestors of wings may have developed to help their owners run up steep slopes.

Whatever their origins, one of the main characteristics that makes birds so fascinating is their ability to fly. Continue reading if you’re interested in finding out what constitutes a bird wing, how these incredible appendages operate, and how various kinds of bird wings differ.

The humerus in the upper limb, the radius and ulna in the lower limb, and the smaller, more delicate bones of the hand and fingers are the same basic bones found inside the wings of birds as they are in your own body.

Natural selection has altered these bones in birds to enable flight, and over time, the “hand” bones of birds have retracted and fused. However, if you examine a bird skeleton closely, the bones of three small “fingers” inside the tip of the wing can still be seen.

Another adaptation for flight, the tiny air pockets in bird bones allow them to be lightweight but incredibly strong.

For birds to be able to fly, their wings and chests must also have strong muscles. A bony plate called a keel runs down the middle of the breastbone of birds, giving their large flight muscles a larger surface area to attach to.

The pectoralis major muscle, which is used by both humans and birds to lower their arms and wings, However, birds have a special arrangement that allows them to raise their wings: a muscle known as the supracoracoideus attaches to the keel at one end, loops over the shoulder, and anchors to the upper side of the wing to raise it as it contracts. Pulley systems like this one enable birds to produce strong enough wingbeats for flight.

Flight feathers, also known as remiges, are the collective term for a bird’s long wing feathers. To create the surface required for flight, they are affixed along the trailing edge of the bird’s wings. The primaries, which are firmly attached to the bird’s “hand,” and the secondaries, which are attached to the bird’s forearm, are the two groups of feathers that make up this feather structure. Similar to how you can move your fingers, a bird can precisely control its primaries by flexing and rotating them.

An airfoil, which has the same front-to-back shape as an airplane wing, is formed in part by the flight feathers on the inner section of the wing called secondaries. This is essential to producing the lift required for a bird to take flight.

Different Types of Wings

The shape of a bird’s wings varies based on the kind of flight that species has evolved for. Ornithologists have grouped wing shapes into four basic types:

Although elliptical wings allow their owners to maneuver in confined spaces and fly quickly for brief periods of time, they are not very effective at maintaining long-term flight. Birds that inhabit forests and don’t migrate far are more likely to have this type of wing. Even though they have longer, narrower wings than their close relatives who do not migrate, birds that migrate great distances, like Neotropical migrants who spend the winter in South America, nevertheless have an elliptical overall shape. The following birds have elliptical wings: sparrows, woodpeckers, and doves.

High aspect ratio wings, or active soaring wings, are narrow and long. They are especially common among seabirds such as albatrosses. Because of their shape, birds can glide on air currents for great distances with little effort and hardly ever need to flap their wings.

Takeoffs are made simpler by the slightly shorter and wider passive soaring wings compared to active soaring wings. This type of bird’s primary wing feathers fan out with “slots” in between, changing their aerodynamics in a way that makes them ideal for seizing thermals, or rising columns of air. Large inland flyers like vultures and eagles frequently have passive soaring wings.

As one might expect, high-speed wings are designed for speed. They are slender, pointed, and long—though not as long as those of soaring birds. Birds with high-speed wings can travel at extremely high speeds by rapidly beating their wings. Falcons, for example, have this type of wing.

Of course, not all birds wings can be easily categorized. The following are some of the most extreme instances of how bird wings have evolved to suit particular avian lifestyles:

A hummingbird’s wings can beat up to 80 times in a second. Because of a unique adaptation, these tiny birds can create lift on both the downstroke and the upstroke. This allows them to hover. They beat their wings and rotate them at the shoulder and elbow.

Penguins are known for being flightless — but theyve coopted their wings for another purpose. Their short, stiff wings and strong pectoral muscles are perfect for “flying” underwater. Essentially, these aquatic birds turned their wings into a pair of flippers, an example of convergent evolution. Penguin wing bones are actually fused together, which helps facilitate this flipper functionality, but the resulting rigidity also makes these birds the only ones that cant fold their wings. Some other seabirds, such as auklets, guillemots, and puffins, also use their wings to propel them underwater, but these birds wings are also capable of flight.

A few birds even “sing” with their wings. In their South American tropical forest habitat, male Club-winged Manakins, like those of all other manakin species, put on elaborate dancing displays for potential mates. Males of this species add a distinctive twist: during their performance, they produce a violin-like trilling sound through the vibration of unique club-shaped feathers on their wings, rather than the vocal anatomy of the bird. Many bird species have the ability to produce sounds with their wings, such as pops, claps, whirring noises, and even whistles.

Lastly, with a wingspan of up to 12 feet, the Wandering Albatross has the longest wings in the world of birds today. (This is an excellent illustration of the dynamic, soaring wings mentioned previously.) However, the record is held by an extinct predatory bird called Pelagornis chilensis, which lived 5 to 10 million years ago and had an amazing 17-foot wingspan.

What Makes a Bird… a Bird?

This month’s featured bird is the American Crow; click to find out more!

FAQ

Are there any birds without wings?

Do any birds have hands?

Is it true that not all birds can fly?

Do all birds have two wings and two legs?