Study of 1,139 Bird Wings Finds Most Are Not Optimized for Flight

1 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 12

Most of the 1,139 bird wings analyzed in a new Nature Communications study did not match the theoretically optimal shapes for their flight styles, challenging the idea that bird evolution fine-tuned wings for maximum efficiency.
Benton Walters and colleagues used a morphospace method that predicts ideal wing forms without assuming living birds already represent the best design, letting them test adaptationist claims more directly.
Hummingbirds and penguins came closest to the predicted optima, while high-energy fliers such as aerial hawkers also scored well; flightless birds like ostriches were among the least optimized.
Trade-offs appear to explain much of the mismatch: even elite fliers such as albatrosses may sacrifice aerodynamic perfection because they still need to take off, land and breed successfully.
The findings suggest many bird wings are merely good enough rather than ideal, a result that could reshape how researchers think about evolution and which animals engineers copy for wing-inspired designs.

Why does evolution settle for 'good enough' wings instead of creating perfectly efficient flyers?

If nature’s best flyers aren't perfect, should we rethink bio-inspired drone and aircraft design?

Could a new analysis finally solve the mystery of how prehistoric pterosaurs actually flew?