Earth’s Original Aviators

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Nope, it’s definitely a bird who figured out the complex task of flight. Humans have been using airplanes to fly for more than a hundred years, but there is still a lot to learn from Earth’s original aviators. Flight is most common in birds, but it’s an incredible adaptation for a wide variety of species.

So, next time you have a minute to look up at the sky, be sure to take some time to appreciate the diversity of natural aviators on our planet. For now, here’s how those fantastic flyers get themselves off the ground.

How to fly like a bird

The wings on birds are shaped very specifically to enable them to fly, and their biomechanical physics is so amazing that they even inspired the way we build airplanes. Most birds have wings that are curved on top and flat on the bottom. This means that air moving around their wings takes a longer journey over the upper, curved side than the lower, flat side.

Why is that important though? By increasing the distance air travels when going above their wings, birds create lower air pressure above their wing. That means the higher air pressure below their wing can push them up, up, and away. All birds have to do is flap their wings or find a good air current to keep air moving around them so they can fly.

Arctic Tern can be spotted during their breeding season in areas throughout Alaska and as far south as Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Denali National Park and Preserve

NPS Photo / Kent Miller

The Arctic Tern

Even though there are more than 4,000 species of migratory birds around the world, the longest migration of any bird in the world belongs to the Arctic Tern. Every year, these little birds make a circuitous 49,000 mile trip from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back. That means a single bird can travel almost 1.5 million miles over the course of their 30 year lifespan! To put that another way, the Arctic Tern flies the same distance as three trips to the moon and back.

With such an incredibly long journey, the Arctic Tern has perfected the task of flight. For the Arctic Tern to maintain their flight for such a long journey, they have the exceptional skill of plunge-diving mid flight. By dipping down to the ocean surface to catch fish, crustaceans, and other food as they travel, the Arctic Tern is fueling up all the time while they migrate. Why would a bird fly all that way though? Well, the Arctic Tern experiences two full summers each year and all the bountiful food that comes with the season.

Owls hunt a variety of small animals and insects with the help of their stealthy wings.
Denali National Park and Preserve

NPS Photo

The Barred Owl

Owls live on every continent except Antarctica, and one thing that many have in common is their ability to fly almost silently. Even large species, like the Barred Owl, can do this with a few signature adaptations. Owls are able to fly very slowly in comparison to other bird species thanks to their large wing to body weight ratio. This is because they need less lift from their personal air pressure system to fly.

Besides minimizing the number of wing flaps they need to stay in the air, owls also have feathers adapted to make practically no noise. The primary feathers have a comb-like structure on the front and soft fringe feathers on the top of the wings break up the air as they fly. This means that there isn’t any swishing, swooshing, or fluttering sounds like birds with more rigid feathers would create. Thanks to all these adaptations, the Barred Owl is able to stealthily fly through the forest while listening for prey.

Did you know that hummingbirds can do a backward somersault?
Petrified Forest National Park

NPS Photo / Andy Bridges

The Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are defined by their unique flight, which allows them to hover in one spot as well as fly backward, sideways, and straight up! These tiny birds have a different wing setup than other birds. Instead of flapping their wings up and down, they move their wings forward and backward in a figure eight. That special movement means they can create lift on both forward and backward wing beats. By doing this, hummingbirds can more accurately harness the direction of their flight.

Maneuverability is an important adaptation for a bird who feeds from the tiny openings in flowers. Plus, the delicate plants that hummingbirds feed from often can’t support even their lightweight bodies. The ability to hover in place while feeding means that hummingbirds can feed from and pollinate even the daintiest flowers.

Dragonflies can sprint at speeds of nearly 35 mph!
Everglades National Park

NPS Photo

The Dragonfly

While dragonflies can also hover and fly in any direction, their flight adaptations are very different from hummingbirds. Unlike birds, dragonflies don’t have a dynamic wing shape to help them create an air pressure system to float on. Instead, they depend on their four wings to dance through the air. Dragonflies twist their wings so that they cut through air on the way up then push flat against the air on the way down. By doing this, they create the same air pressure systems that allow birds to fly.

This ability to change where the air pressure is created allows dragonflies to fly upside down! Their wings are specially adapted to be super strong as part of this flight, with alternating ridges and grooves etched into the surface of each wing. That super maneuverability means dragonflies are excellent hunters of other insects.

Bats use echolocation and their one-of-a-kind wings to fly like no one else.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area

NPS Photo

The Bat

Bats are the only mammals who can create their own air pressure systems to fly, and their wings are just as unique. Unlike insects and birds, bat wings aren't rigid. These highly flexible limbs have dozens of joints that enable bats to fold their wings into any number of shapes. Take a second and wiggle your fingers, then squeeze your hand into a fist. All the bones and joints in your hand are the same bones and joints that make up a bat’s wing. That’s why they’re called “chiroptera,” which means hand-wing.

Bats' specialized wings mean they are able to fly in a very similar way to dragonflies. They shrink their wings to cut through the air on upward strokes, then extend their wings to push against the air on downward strokes. Those unique wings also help different species to twist through the air in pursuit of insects or access the plants they eat. By folding their wings down to almost vanish against their sides, bats pollinate more than 300 different plant species.

Every species we encounter has countless adaptations that help them fill their niche in their ecosystem. For these natural aviators, their unique flight adaptations enable them to do some really amazing things. As we look to the future of our own flight using airplanes, helicopters, drones, and everything that tomorrow holds, it’s important to remember where aviation began and how we can use nature to inspire our next steps.