have wings look like a bird am I
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- Updated April 24, 2017
- By Ho-Diep Dinh
- Over millions of years, birds have perfected the body structure needed for flight. In fact, a bird's entire being has adapted to a life of soaring through the air. Besides insects and bats, no other group of animals can truly fly. The wings of birds are uniquely adapted to their way of life, from the daily search for food to yearly migrations lasting thousands of miles. Birds inherited from their ancestors wing structures that allow them to escape from predators, take advantage of more food sources, and make life less stressful.
- From Dinosaurs to Birds
- Birds are now widely accepted as having descended from a form of dinosaurs, evolving from a line of meat-eating dinosaurs called maniraptoran theropods similar to the Velociraptors. According to their fossil record, these dinosaurs evolved features, such as wishbones and thin-shelled eggs that resemble those of modern birds. The first bird was possibly Archaeopteryx, a winged creature that may have been capable of true flight. Some of the first birdlike creatures sported feathers on their legs, as well as their arms, according to a 2013 study by Dr. Xing Xu and colleagues from the Institute of Geology and Paleontology in Shandong, China, and published in the journal "Science." This finding seemed to suggest that ancient birdlike animals actually used two sets of wings to fly.
- Feathers and Wings
- Before birds could take to the sky, they had to evolve feathers adapted to the mechanics of flying, and even specific flight styles. Feathers are light but remarkably strong. Remiges are the flight, or wing, feathers. The primary remiges, large wing feathers, attach to the "hand" portion of the wing. The secondary remiges attach to the forearm and help provide lift when the bird is soaring or flapping. Besides the feathers themselves, the shape of the wings figure into a bird's flying ability. Short, rounded wings help birds take off rapidly. Long, pointed wings provide speed. Long, narrow wings allow for gliding. Broad wings with slots let birds both soar and glide.
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