When a bird isn’t flying, it folds its wings neatly and tucks them against its body, out of the way. What’s more, when the wings are closed, the feathers that are most important for flight are ...

The feathers suggest that early birds had four wings, which may have played a role in the evolution of flight, scientists report in a study published Thursday, March 14, in the journal Science.

“The bird’s tip vortices broke down violently and quickly about two or three wing-beats after they were generated,” Lentink explained. And although this breakdown is commonly seen in the tip vortices ...

What the birds were doing was keeping their wing strokes confined to a narrow range of less than 20 degrees for a wide range of behaviors. This similar wing flap directs aerodynamic forces about ...

Other early birds might have used a combination of wing and leg strength to launch into the air, but this hasn’t been shown for Archaeopteryx (SN: 11/26/16, p. 9). Science News sponsorship position.

Aside from the weapon wings, Longrich and colleagues are most curious about the ultimate fate of the prehistoric birds. Fossils indicate Xenicibis lived at least as recently as 12,000 years ago.