Today 🧒
Child: How do birds fly with just their wings?
Birds fly by flapping their wings to push air down and back. This pushes them up and forward. Their wings are shaped to help lift them in the air.
Child: Why does pushing air down make them go up?
When birds push air down with their wings, the air pushes back up on the wings. It’s like when you push water down in a pool and you feel it push your hand up. This push up is called lift.
Child: What makes the wings shaped to help lift?
Bird wings are curved on top and flatter on the bottom. When air moves over the curved top, it goes faster and creates lower pressure. This helps lift the bird up, kind of like a slide pushing you up.
Child: So if the air pressure changes, does the bird go higher or lower?
Yes! When a bird changes how it flaps or tilts its wings, it changes the air pressure around them. More lift means the bird goes higher, less lift and it goes lower or glides down.
Child: How do scientists know this about wings and air?
Scientists use wind tunnels and special cameras to see how air moves around wings. They also watch birds and test models to understand how lift works. It’s like how you test paper airplanes to see which flies best.
Child: How fast can birds flap their wings?
It depends on the bird. Some small birds flap up to 50 times a second! Big birds flap slower but have strong, wide wings to glide for a long time.
Child: People say planes fly like birds, is that true?
Planes do fly using lift like birds, but their wings don’t flap. Instead, engines push planes forward, and their fixed wings shape the air to lift the plane up. Birds flap and change their wing shapes to move.
Child: So flying with wings is like swimming in the air?
Exactly! Birds move their wings like we move our arms in water. Air is thinner than water, but it still pushes back, helping birds stay up and move forward.
Child: Can I try to feel lift with my hands?
Yes! Hold your hand out of a car window or in a breeze and tilt it slightly. You’ll feel the air pushing your hand up or down. That’s like lift on a bird’s wing.
Child: Why do birds have feathers on their wings?
Feathers make wings smooth and help control air flow. They also help birds steer and stop. Watching birds fly is a cool way to learn about nature’s flying machines. Keep asking questions like this!