Elastic energy storage in primary feather shafts.

摘要: It is proposed that the kinetic energy of a pigeon's wing, in hovering or slow forward flight, transferred to air at end downstroke by mechanism involving temporary storage additional bent primary feather shafts. Estimates amounts which can be stored and recovered this way are compared with requirements theory. The hypothesis not rejected, as far present evidence goes. If correct, high-velocity pulses calculable magnitude should detectable wake.