Birds are flying. We are seeing this every day in front of our eyes. Have we got time for think about that? It is a natural phenomenon! Isn’t it? Yes my friends & Family it is indeed. And Allah SWT created the nature in such a meaningful way in which signs of His presence and existence are there for the people who do think and explore! Let’s try to explore what’s the scientific explanation about the bird’s flight mechanism. How far a bird can fly in a day? Common birds can fly at 18 to 55 miles per hour during the migration. They can fly 150 to 300 miles per day. Anders Kvist at Lund University researched at a bird species called Calidris canutu (commonly known as Red Knots). He concluded that fully fed, Red Knots flying in a wind tunnel for 6 to 10 hours extracted significantly more power from each unit of food. As a result bird can cross over the seas and deserts with adequate reserves for energy required! Do we know the Homing Pigeon can fly 1080 a day! How far up can birds fly to? The bird that flies highest most regularly is the bar-headed goose Anser indicus, which travels directly over the Himalayas en route between its nesting grounds in Tibet and winter quarters in India. They are sometimes seen flying well above the peak of Mt. Everest at 29,035 ft. One remarkable report from a Northern Ireland air radar station showed a flock of migrating birds traveling at 29,000 feet. How do they cope with low oxygen in high altitudes flight? Birds have some natural advantages for getting oxygen at high altitudes, in particular an arrangement of air sacs that allows them to circulate inhaled air twice through the lungs with each breath--much more efficient than the in-and-out system used by mammals. Bar-headed geese have special adaptations that make them even better at high-flying than other birds. They have a special type of haemoglobin that absorbs oxygen very quickly at high altitudes, and their capillaries penetrate especially deep within their muscles to transfer oxygen to the muscle fibres. What is the mechanism of bird flight? The fundamentals of bird flight are similar to those of aircraft. Lift force is produced by the action of air flow on the wing. The lift force occurs because the air has a lower pressure just above the wings and higher pressure below. When gliding, both birds and gliders obtain both a vertical and a forward force from their wings. This is possible because the lift force is generated at right angles to the air flow, which in gliding flight comes from slightly below the horizontal (because the bird is descending). When a bird flaps, as opposed to gliding, its wings continue to develop lift as before, but the lift is rotated forward to provide thrust, which counteracts drag and increases its speed, which has the effect of also increasing lift to counteract its weight, allowing it to maintain height or to climb. Apart from its weight, there are three major drag forces that impede a birds aerial flight: frictional drag (caused by the friction of air and body surfaces), form drag (due to frontal area of the bird, also known as pressure drag), and lift-induced drag (caused by the wingtip vortices). These forces are reduced by streamlining the birds body and wings. How some birds can hover in the sky? By definition the word hovering means to remain floating, suspended, or fluttering in the air. Hovering is used by several species of birds (and specialized in by one family). True hovering, which is generating lift through flapping alone rather than as a product of the birds passage through the air, demands a lot of energy.). Kestrels, terns and even hawks use this wind hovering. Most birds that hover have high aspect ratio wings that are suited to low speed flying. The hummingbirds, which are the most accomplished hoverers of all the birds, can beat their wings 52 times a second! What are the most amazing anatomical advantages in bird for flight? 1. Birds bodies are streamlined to help overcome air-resistance. 2. The bird skeleton is hollow to reduce weight, and many unnecessary bones have been lost (such as the bony tail of the early bird Archaeopteryx), along with the toothed jaw of early birds, which has been replaced with a lightweight beak. 3. The skeletons breastbone has also adapted into a large keel, suitable for the attachment of large, powerful flight muscles. 4. The vanes of each feather have hook-lets called barbules that zip the vanes of individual feathers together, giving the feathers the strength needed to hold the air-foil (these are often lost in flightless birds). 5. The barbules maintain the shape and function of the feather. 6. The feathers in the wings are not for beautification. Each feather has a major (greater) side and a minor (lesser) side. The fine and coordinated movements of these feathers are playing pivotal role for the mechanics of the speeds, changes of directions, hovering and even smooth ‘take-off’ and landing. 7. The large amounts of energy required for flight have led to the evolution of a unidirectional pulmonary system to provide the large quantities of oxygen required for their high respiratory rates. This high metabolic rate produces large quantities of radicals in the cells that can damage DNA and lead to tumours. Birds, however, do not suffer from an otherwise expected shortened lifespan as their cells have evolved a more efficient antioxidant system than those found in other animals. Conclusion Such an amazing creation this birds are! My friends & family it is true that the birds are flying and it is a very normal and natural phenomenon. But think about the fantastic and finest aeronautical design in this natural phenomenon. Now the question is –Who has created these amazing creatures? Who is giving the sustenance? Answer is Allah SWT—The lord of the worlds. Look Allah said in Surah Al-Nahl in Ayat 79: Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them up except Allah . Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe. Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar! May Allah give us time to realise, reflect and appreciate the Signs in His creation. Ameen Reference & Source: 1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_flight 2. quran/16 3. in.answers.yahoo
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 11:41:06 +0000
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