In gliding flight, birds morph their wings and tails to control their flight trajectory and speed. Using high-resolution videogrammetry, we reconstructed accurate and detailed three-dimensional geometries of gliding flights for three raptors (barn owl, Tyto alba; tawny owl, Strix aluco, and goshawk, Accipiter gentilis). Wing shapes were highly repeatable and shoulder actuation was a key component of reconfiguring the overall planform and controlling angle of attack. The three birds shared common spanwise patterns of wing twist, an inverse relationship between twist and peak camber, and held their wings depressed below their shoulder in an anhedral configuration. With increased speed, all three birds tended to reduce camber throughout the wing, and their wings bent in a saddle-shape pattern. A number of morphing features suggest that the coordinated movements of the wing and tail support efficient flight, and that the tail may act to modulate wing camber through indirect aeroelastic control.

在滑翔飞行中，鸟类通过改变翅膀和尾巴来控制飞行轨迹和速度。使用高分辨率视频测量，我们重建了三种猛禽（仓鸮、 Tyto alba 、黄褐色鸮、 Strix aluco和苍鹰、 Accipiter gentilis ）滑翔飞行的准确且详细的三维几何形状。机翼形状具有高度可重复性，肩部驱动是重新配置整体平面形状和控制迎角的关键组成部分。这三只鸟具有共同的翼展方向扭曲模式，即扭曲与峰弧度之间的反比关系，并且它们的翅膀以上反角的结构压在肩部下方。随着速度的增加，所有三只鸟都倾向于减少整个翅膀的弧度，并且它们的翅膀弯曲成马鞍形图案。许多变形特征表明机翼和尾部的协调运动支持高效飞行，并且尾部可以通过间接气动弹性控制来调节机翼弯度。