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How a Small Bird Executes a Sharp Turning Maneuver: A Mechanical Perspective

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Abstract

In this work, how a small bird (Japanese White-eye, Zosterops japonicus) executes a sharp turning maneuver is analyzed from a mechanical perspective. A specific type of turning maneuver, termed a ‘hovering turn’, was experimentally identified, which is evidently distinct from the yaw or bank turn that is well documented in the literature. The hovering turn is characterized by a turning radius only about ~1/10 of the wingspan, and requires less than 0.2 s. The reorientation of the bird’s body is invariably preceded by a brief hovering stage during which the elevation angle of the bird increases from 40° to approximately 90°, leading beneficially to a considerable decrease (40% of its maximum) in the moment of inertia of the body against the axis of rotation. The brief hovering is deemed a strategic, preparatory and transitional stage in executing a roll-dominated turn that is efficient and particularly suitable for a small space. The mechanisms pertaining to the hovering turn might provide a useful, biomechanical inspiration to improve the maneuverability of artificial aerial vehicles.

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Acknowledgement

National Science Council of the Republic of China partially supported this work under contract numbers NSC 96-2628-E-002-256-MY3, NSC 96-2628-E-002-258-MY3 and NSC99-2218-E007-002.. We thank Yu-Hung Chang for assisting in conduct of experiments and analysis of data. We thank editors and three reviewers for their helpful comments on this paper.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan, Republic of China

    J.-Y. Su, S.-C. Ting & J.-T. Yang

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  1. J.-Y. Su
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  2. S.-C. Ting
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  3. J.-T. Yang
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Correspondence to J.-T. Yang.

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Su, JY., Ting, SC. & Yang, JT. How a Small Bird Executes a Sharp Turning Maneuver: A Mechanical Perspective. Exp Mech 52, 693–703 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-011-9537-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-011-9537-5

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