Re: Chukar Aeronautics

["David Marjanovic" <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Philidor" <philidor11@snet.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 1:11 AM

> The stroke, which sometimes ends with the wings held vertically, doesn't
> seem completely congruent with a flight (or prey capturing) stroke.

In the current absence of a biomechanical study, I do think it is congruent
with the predatory stroke. The difference is that to hold the wings
vertically, a bird must hold its trunk almost horizontally, while most other
avepectorans would have to hold it vertically, too. It looks similar to how
one would use avepectoran arms for climbing; the difference is that it works
even when the fingers fail to touch the tree trunk.

>  It appears to be more about traction than speed.

I don't think the movies are in original speed. Are they?

When you ask "which came first, wings or feathers?" what you mean by
"feathers" is "wing feathers". I think it's easier to start this behavior
when wing feathers, e. g. evolved for brooding and/or display, are already
there. But who knows if it happened that way. :-)