Flying and gliding animals

Animals that travel through the air by powered flight or by gliding without continuous powered lift. Their aerial movement evolved independently in several animal lineages.

Connect

Aerodynamics: The study of how gases flow and exert forces on moving bodies. Lift, drag, and airflow explain how animals stay aloft and steer.
Vertebrate: An animal belonging to the group characterized by a backbone or its developmental precursor. Birds, bats, and many gliders are vertebrates with modified limbs or body surfaces.
Wandering albatross: A large seabird known for long-distance flight over the Southern Ocean. Its dynamic soaring exploits wind gradients above the ocean.
Powered flight: Aerial locomotion in which an animal supplies energy to generate thrust and lift. It distinguishes animals that sustain flight with muscle-powered strokes from passive gliders.
Seed dispersal: The movement of seeds away from their parent plants by biological or physical agents. Flying animals can carry seeds between distant habitats.
Lift (force): The aerodynamic force perpendicular to an object's direction of motion through a fluid. Wings generate lift by redirecting airflow as animals fly or glide.
Insect flight: Powered aerial locomotion by insects using one or two pairs of wings. Insects evolved flight separately from vertebrates and use distinct wing structures.
Peregrine falcon: A widespread falcon that captures prey in fast, steep dives. Its powered flight and high-speed stoops exemplify aerial hunting.
Parachuting (animal locomotion): A controlled descent in which an animal increases drag to slow its fall. Parachuting slows descent but generally provides less horizontal travel than gliding.
Pollination: The transfer of pollen from an anther to a receptive stigma or ovule. Flight lets insects and some vertebrates connect flowering plants across space.