![]() The authors aim to apply the way that the alula works in designing a device that enables the air vehicles to turn better and more efficiently. The word is Latin and means 'winglet' it is the diminutive of ala, meaning 'wing'. Haecheon Choi, the corresponding author of the paper. The alula /æljl/, or bastard wing, (plural alulae) is a small projection on the anterior edge of the wing of modern birds and a few non-avian dinosaurs. With the alula, the birds performed steeper descending flights. ![]() It is assumed to function similarly to a leading-edge slat that increases lift and delays stall. The role of the alula in avian flight is just one example." says Dr. The alula is a small structure located at the joint between the hand-wing and arm-wing of birds and is known to be used in slow flight with high angles of attack such as landing. "Nature is full of vortices, and the animals and plants use them wisely. But this is the first time that the researchers found the evidence that the effect of the alula is due to a small vortex formed at the tip of the alula feathers. There have been several other attempts to reveal the role of the alula in birds' flight. Two types of wing slot have been developed by birds: the alula provides a mid-wing slot, and emargination of the distal primaries pro- vides one to several. MANUS: The portion of a birds wing that corresponds to the hand of a human. Measurements of the forces acting on wings in the wind tunnel proved that indeed the presence of the vortex from the alula helps the birds in flight. By adjusting the angle of the alula, the bird is able to regulate the air flow. Although the alula is small, it creates enough vortex to prevent the air flow from being detached from the wing." says Dr. The alula is the bird’s thumb positioned on the top edge of the wing and covered with three to five small feathers depending on the species. "For the wing to fly better, the air has to move closer to the wing. Here they observed that a tiny vortex from the alula tip presses the air flow over the wing and makes the air flow better attached to the wing surface. Then the researchers moved on to the wind tunnel experiments where they visualized the movement of tiny particles around magpie wings. "But with the alula they seem to turn more easily." Sang-im Lee, the first author of the paper. "It's not that they cannot fly without the alula." says Dr. They started with observing magpies in the aviary when the birds moulted the alula feathers. The alula /æljl/, or bastard wing, (plural alulae) is a small projection on the anterior edge of the wing of modern birds and a few non-avian dinosaurs. The researchers were interested in the flight of magpies. This study was conducted by a research team of biologists and mechanical engineers at the Seoul National University. A recent article published in Scientific Reports says that the secret is a small vortex of air that is formed at the tip of the alula feathers. nouna group of small quill feathers on the first digit of a birds wingExamplesThe alula feather, also called the bastard wing, can be seen at.
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