Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Tradeoffs for locomotion in air and water. Penguins swim by "flying" beneath the surface of the water. Flying fish use their pectoral fins to glide above the water's surface. Certain species of fish and birds are able to locomote in both air and water, two fluid media with very different properties. A fluid is a particular phase of matter that ...
This is a list of the fastest flying birds in the world. A bird's velocity is necessarily variable; a hunting bird will reach much greater speeds while diving to catch prey than when flying horizontally. The bird that can achieve the greatest airspeed is the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), able to exceed 320 km/h (200 mph) in its dives.
Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus Fratercula. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Two species, the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in ...
Swans are the largest extant members of the waterfowl family Anatidae and are among the largest flying birds. The largest living species, including the mute swan, trumpeter swan, and whooper swan, can reach a length of over 1.5 m (59 in) and weigh over 15 kg (33 lb). Their wingspans can be over 3.1 m (10 ft). [15]
The anhinga (/ ænˈhɪŋɡə /; Anhinga anhinga), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from a'ñinga in the Brazilian Tupi language and means "devil bird" or "snake bird". [3] The origin of the name is apparent when swimming: only the ...
Cranes are a type of large bird with long legs and necks in the biological family Gruidae of the order Gruiformes. The family has 15 species placed in four genera which are Antigone, Balearica, Leucogeranus, and Grus. [1] They are large birds with long necks and legs, a tapering form, and long secondary feathers on the wing that project over ...
In the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. Penguins' swimming looks very similar to birds' flight in the air. [44] Within the smooth plumage a layer of air is preserved, ensuring buoyancy. The air layer also helps insulate the birds in cold waters. On land, penguins use their tails and wings to maintain balance for their upright ...
Description. Condors are very large, broad-winged soaring birds, the Andean condor being 3 inches (7.6 centimetres) to 6 inches (15.2 centimetres) shorter (beak to tail) on average than the northern species, but heavier and larger in wingspan. [3] The Andean condor has a wingspan of 2.7–3.1 metres (8 feet 10⁄ inches – 10 feet 2 inches) [4 ...