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Birds are a diverse group of animals. Despite their vast differences, hummingbirds, penguins, and eagles all share a common ancestry! Through the process of natural selection, birds adapted to thrive in unique ecological niches. One of their most fascinating adaptations is their wings. But wings are not one size fits all – bird wings come in many specialized forms that serve different functions and fit different lifestyles. Let’s take a look at a few different types of bird wings and what they do!
Are you an educator? If you are teaching bird adaptations or animal adaptations, I highly recommend checking out my Bird Beaks Lab Activity Guide and my Bird Adaptations Task Cards:
Active Soaring Bird Wings
Active soaring wings have an extremely long, slender shape. They are ideal for catching horizontal air currents like sea breezes. They help minimize flapping to conserve energy – making them great for staying in the air for long periods while hunting or migrating.
Examples: albatross, gannet
Passive Soaring Bird Wings
Passive soaring wings appear broad and slotted. They are best for catching updrafts and flying for long periods. They help minimize flapping to conserve energy while circling to look for food on the ground or in the water below.
Example: pelican, eagle
High-Speed Bird Wings
High-speed bird wings are not as long as active or passive soaring wings. They may appear pointed at the ends. Like the name implies, high-speed wings are great for rapid movement. However, the bird must spend lots of energy through flapping to reach high speeds. This makes these wings ideal for short bursts of speed, such as chasing down a flying prey animal or insect.
Examples: falcon, tern
Elliptical Bird Wings
Elliptical bird wings have a more rounded appearance. They are great for quick maneuvers and turns, which is why they are often seen on birds that live in dense forests. They are also good for quick take-offs, which can help a bird escape from a predator. Elliptical wings require lots of flapping to stay in flight.
Examples: dove, turkey
Swimming Bird Wings
Some wings have a fin-like shape. These wings are great for swimming, which can be very useful for a penguin that hunts by pursuit diving for fish underwater. Swimming wings allow a bird to “fly” underwater! These fin-like wings lack true flight feathers and are not suitable for flight (in the air, at least).
Example: penguin
Hovering Bird Wings
Hovering wings are great for – you guessed it – hovering. This type of wing allows a bird to stay in one place, suspended in the air. Hovering wings are small and move very, very quickly. Furthermore, when a bird flaps its hovering wings, the motion comes mostly from the shoulder joint rather than joints further down the wing. Hovering lets a hummingbird to drink nectar from flowers while in flight. However, a huge amount of energy is used to keep the wings flapping so quickly.
Example: hummingbird
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References and Further Reading
- All About Birds (n.d.). Why Can’t Penguins Fly. Cornell Lab. Available: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-cant-penguins-fly/
- Berberi, I (2020). How the wings of owls and hummingbirds inspire drones, wind turbines and other technology. Carleton Newsroom. Available: https://newsroom.carleton.ca/story/hummingbirds-wings-inspire-technology/
- Heisman, R. (2022). Extraordinary Appendages: An Introduction to Bird Wings. American Bird Conservancy. Available: https://abcbirds.org/blog/bird-wings/
- Jenney, P. (2022). Winter Wings: The Science of Soaring. Montana Natural History Center. Available: https://www.montananaturalist.org/blog-post/winter-wings-the-science-of-soaring/
- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (2021). Facts of Flight. Chicago Academy of Sciences. Available: https://naturemuseum.org/chicago-academy-of-sciences/blog/facts-of-flight
- Savile, D. B.O. (2006). Bird Fight. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Available: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/bird-flight