Footprints of a flapping wing

Birds have to flap their wings to generate the needed thrust force, which powers them through the air. But how exactly do flapping wings create such force, and at what amplitude and frequency should they operate? These questions have been asked by many researchers. It turns out that much of the secret is hidden in the wake left behind the flapping wing. Exemplified by the study of Andersen et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 812, 2017, R4), close examination of the flow pattern behind a flapping wing will inform us whether the wing is towed by an external force or able to generate a net thrust force by itself. Such studies are much like looking at the footprints of terrestrial animals as we infer their size and weight, figuring out their walking and running gaits. A map that displays the collection of flow patterns after a flapping wing, using flapping frequency and amplitude as the coordinates, offers a full picture of its flying ‘gaits’.