Female tits performed the wing-fluttering gesture more often, after which their male mate usually entered the nest box. This happened even when the gesturing bird arrived at the box first.

Birds change the shape of their wings far more than planes. The complexities of bird flight have posed a major design challenge for scientists trying to translate the way birds fly into robots.

Bird wings and legs evolve independently, while bat wing and leg proportions are integrated. Credit: Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02572-9 ...

A new robotic bird made with real pigeon feathers is the first robot that can change the shape of its wings like a bird, by fanning its feathers out or folding them closer together.

One bird rose in the air, and with the characteristic cry of fright flew over the millrace in the direction of a corn-field. When on the wing it was struck by lightning and killed “like a shot.” ...