'Directional Velcro' on birds' feathers prevent gaps from forming between them when hit by a gust of wind. Courtesy of Lentink Lab / Stanford University It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a bit of both.

Charles Darwin once posited that birds might flap their wings to communicate, not just to fly. However, this has always been pretty tricky to test. Now, 150 years later, researchers have discovered ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. A down feather illustrates the varied assortment of barbs that allow it to ...

Researchers at the Engineering School at Princeton University have taken inspiration from birds to improve flight performance and safety in aircraft. The researchers deployed rows of flaps to the wing ...

The crested pigeon, found in Australia, has a modified wing feather that helps produce an alarm signal sound to warn other birds when there's trouble. Feathers are not just for flight. They keep birds ...

Pigeons may be considered rats of the sky, but some scientists have found greater value in these urban birds: the blueprint for a new generation of flying machines. Birds can modify the shape of their ...

Dark feathers may help birds fly more efficiently. They heat up the animals’ wings and the surrounding air, which might help increase airflow over the wing. Svana Rogalla at Ghent University in ...