Flygmekanik i sidledsmanöver hos Svartvit flugsnappare (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Sammanfattning: There is not much research done regarding maneouvering flight on Birds. What has been done surrounding the area usually involves steady flight and not maneuvering. For the most part studies concern bats, insects or hummingbirds. What makes research on maneuvering on birds important is that in a bird’s everyday life, very little of it consists of steady flight. This study has looked on the Pied flycatcher. The Pied flycatcher is a species whose attributes fits the experiment very well due to its specialization on catching prey mid-air. Two birds have been filmed in a wind tunnel where they are following a feeder sideways. Every frame of the recordings has been analyzed to see exactly how the birds are accomplishing the required movement to follow the feeder sideways. The position of 11 different body points was determined in every frame. The length and angle relationship were analyzed in MATLAB to visualize patterns of movements. The results indicate that the birds are using subtle differences in the right and left wing during down and upstroke of the wings to create slightly different vortices on each wing to maneuver itself along with the feeder, hence being able to follow and focus on its prey. These results can inspire future research that studies the subtle differences in upstroke and downstroke to create forces to maneuver.