Birds in flight are among the most graceful creatures on earth. But when we see a bird in flight, we wonder what keeps it up. A bird’s flight depends, of course, on its wings. Some birds, like the peregrine falcon, are flapping fliers. Other birds, like the turkey vulture, are gliding fliers. But whatever sort a flier a bird has evolved as, the mechanics of bird flight are basically the same. A bird’s wing is an airfoil, thicker at the leading edge and thinner at the trailing edge. The curve of the airfoil causes the airflow to be pushed apart. The airflow traveling across the top creates suction. The airflow traveling across the bottom pushes upward, creating lift. It is actually the suction on the top that gives a bird’s wing most of its lifting power. A bird in flight rides on air currents.

French artist George Braque saw birds in flight as a source of inspiration during his later years. His etching “Birds in Flight: is considered one of his great works. At one time a wall decoration of birds in flight in black porcelain was very popular. These figures are still sought by antique hunters.

For pilots, birds in flight can be a hazard. A scene in the movie Top Gun, in which an airman is killed, was allegedly inspired by a real life accident in which an F-14 plane hit a bird in mid-flight. Airports often use bird flight netting to keep birds out of their vicinity. Some also employ hawks and falcons. The presence of these birds of prey frightens other birds away. The hawks’ and falcons’ handlers wear a bird flight suit with lanyard.

There is a wealth of information on birds and flight for anyone who wishes to do a web quest on bird flight. You can find everything from the reasons why migrating Canada geese fly in a V formation, to hummingbird flight paths. You can learn about the physics of bird flight, and understand just why if you strap wings to your arms and try to fly, it won’t work. Your bird flight web quest will tell you why some birds have long narrow wings and others have short, broad wings. You can learn which birds are considered the best flyers, and which ones are rather awkward at it. You can even see bird in flight video that provides up close, slow motion views, so you can see just what a bird does when it flies.