Lupa Kata Sandi? Klik di Sini

atau Masuk melalui

Belum Memiliki Akun Daftar di Sini


atau Daftar melalui

Sudah Memiliki Akun Masuk di Sini

Konfirmasi Email

Kami telah mengirimkan link aktivasi melalui email ke rudihamdani@gmail.com.

Klik link aktivasi dan dapatkan akses membaca 2 artikel gratis non Laput di koran dan Majalah Tempo

Jika Anda tidak menerima email,
Kirimkan Lagi Sekarang

How Birds Cope with Turbulence

Translator

Editor

27 October 2014 10:14 WIB

TEMPO.CO, JakartaResearchers set out to examine how soaring birds such as eagles, vultures, and kites, are able to fly in 'gusty' turbulent flight conditions that would keep a light aircraft grounded, as reported by Environmental News Network.

They gave a captive steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis), called 'Cossack', its own flight recorder backpack — a 75g black box incorporating GPS that also measured acceleration, rotation rate, and airspeed — and recorded it soaring over the Brecon Beacons in Wales.

An analysis of data from 45 flights revealed that in windy conditions the eagle would collapse its wings in response to particularly strong gusts rather than hold them out stiffly as an aircraft would. During these 'wing tucks', the bird's wings were briefly (for around 0.35 seconds) folded beneath its body so that it was effectively 'falling'. The results suggest that these 'wing tucks' may occur up to three times a minute in some conditions.

'Soaring flight may appear effortless but it isn't a free ride,' said report author Professor Graham Taylor of Oxford University's Department of Zoology. 'Soaring may enable a bird to travel long distances but it also puts an enormous strain on its flight muscles. The nature of rising air masses, such as thermals, is that they create lots of turbulence and buffeting that jolts a bird’s wings and could knock it out of the sky.'

A number of theories have been suggested to explain why birds perform wing tucks but up until now no one had tested these conclusively.

'Our evidence suggests that wing-tucking (collapsing the wings) is a direct response to a substantial loss of lift that occurs when a bird flies through a pocket of atmospheric turbulence,' said Professor Taylor. 'We think that, rather like the suspension on a car, birds use this technique to damp the potentially damaging jolting caused by turbulence. Whilst we won’t see large aircraft adopting collapsible wings this kind of technique could potentially be used to keep micro air vehicles aloft even in very windy conditions.'

A report of the research, entitled 'Wing tucks are a response to atmospheric turbulence in the soaring flight of the steppe eagle Aquila nipalensis', is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

ENN | OXFORD UNIVERSITY




Deforestation Affects Four Key Animals in Aceh, Including Sumatran Elephants

23 hari lalu

Deforestation Affects Four Key Animals in Aceh, Including Sumatran Elephants

Aceh Environment and Forestry Office (DLHK) said that deforestation affected 5.3 thousand hectares of Aceh's forests during the 2021-2022 period.


New Species of Amazon Anaconda, World's Largest Snake, Discovered

26 hari lalu

New Species of Amazon Anaconda, World's Largest Snake, Discovered

Researchers in the Amazon have discovered the world's largest snake species - an enormous green anaconda - in Ecuador's rainforest.


Solo Safari Zoo: Tickets, Opening Hours, Facilities

38 hari lalu

Solo Safari Zoo: Tickets, Opening Hours, Facilities

Solo Safari Zoo is a magnificent nature-based tourism situated on nearly 13.9 hectares of natural area in Surakarta, Central Java.


Gorilla at Jakarta Ragunan Zoo Throws Stick at Visitors; Management Explains

3 Januari 2024

Gorilla at Jakarta Ragunan Zoo Throws Stick at Visitors; Management Explains

Footage of a gorilla throwing wooden sticks at visitors at Ragunan Zoo, South Jakarta, has gone viral on social media.


Taman Safari Animal Curator: 'Wild Animals Can't Be Kept as Pets'

10 Agustus 2023

Taman Safari Animal Curator: 'Wild Animals Can't Be Kept as Pets'

Keeping wild animals at home has long been a trend among celebrities, sparking controversy.


Athens Zoo Fights to Save Tiger Cub Found in Garbage

18 Maret 2023

Athens Zoo Fights to Save Tiger Cub Found in Garbage

Greek veterinarians are fighting to save a white tiger cub abandoned in a rubbish bin at an Athens zoo, believed to be a victim of the illegal trade.


Obsolete Law is Costing Indonesian Wildlife

2 Maret 2023

Obsolete Law is Costing Indonesian Wildlife

When Indonesian prosecutors went after the leader of an illegal wildlife syndicate, they relied on a relatively new law to seek a prison sentence.


Ragunan Zoo to Revamp Cages, Create Zonation of Rp130bn

18 Februari 2023

Ragunan Zoo to Revamp Cages, Create Zonation of Rp130bn

Ragunan Zoo management submits the budget for cages beautification and creating zonation of Rp130 billion to Jakarta Provincial Government for 2023.


Cities Can Be Safe Havens for Endangered Plants and Animals

27 Oktober 2022

Cities Can Be Safe Havens for Endangered Plants and Animals

Creating better connections between humans and nature is the first step to bringing back endangered animals into our cities.


Experts Call for New Vision to Guide Protection of Endangered Species in Africa

25 Juni 2022

Experts Call for New Vision to Guide Protection of Endangered Species in Africa

The international community should rally behind a new vision to guide the protection of endangered species that inhabit Africa, experts say.