General Information

Before we get into the specifics of flight and the physical traits that allow birds to fly, it might be helpful to define a few key terms that will come up later in the project.

What is a "Flighted" Bird?

    A "flighted" bird is a bird with fully intact feathers and the physical capability to fly. The converse of this would be a "flightless" bird. The inability to fly in flightless birds can be due to any number of factors including physical inability (e.g. penguins, ostriches) or clipped wings, as is the case for many pet birds.
    For the purposes of this project, however, we will be focusing exclusively on fully flighted birds.

What is an avian raptor?

    An avian raptor is a specific type of carnivorous bird that is also often referred to as a "bird of prey." There are many different species of avian raptors, but they are all characterized by similar body adaptations that allow them to deftly maneuver and catch prey in the wild.

    To learn more about these physical traits and adaptations, you can visit the "Avian Raptors" page on this website.