Soaring and manoeuvring flight of a steppe eagle Aquila nipalensis

摘要: We used an onboard inertial measurement unit, together with and ground-based video cameras, to record the movements of body, wings tail a steppe eagle Aquila nipalensis during wide-ranging flight. The eagle's flight consisted more or less continuous sequence banked turns, interrupted by occasional wing tucks roll-over manoeuvres, ultimately terminated wing-over manoeuvre leading in diving landing approach. configuration bird, its pattern movement angular perturbations, suggest that is inherently stable pitch yaw, perhaps also roll. control inputs generate roll moments turns were too subtle be detected. Control yaw involved consistent movement, wherein was spread depressed immediately before turn, then overbanked respect bird latter part turn. Differential adjustment posture probably but it only consistently apparent extreme manoeuvres. For example, manoeuvres both accomplished differential changes angle incidence wings. In general, however, appeared maintain positive loading on at all times, except