A Bone to Pick

All this week we are looking at the remarkable intricacy of flight in birds. It truly is a marvel of engineering!

Now, yesterday we learned that feathers are complex structures that are lightweight, yet strong. Well, in order to fly, birds need something else to be lightweight—their bones. They achieve flight with specially designed hollow bones.

Not only are these bones lightweight, but they also form an important part of a bird’s respiratory system. Birds don’t have a diaphragm muscle like we do. Instead the breastbone actually operates their breathing system. We’ll learn more about that unique system tomorrow.

Flight is highly complex. It couldn’t have evolved slowly over millions of years.

Dig Deeper

• The Intricacies of Flight in the Natural World
• Seabird Study Said to Solve the Evolutionary Mystery of Flightlessness