Birds, bats leave different wakes

Analysis of wind-tunnel data provides details about the creatures’ aerodynamics

The aerodynamic wake left behind a bird in flight is fundamentally different from the atmospheric disturbance produced by a bat, new lab tests suggest. In large part, the disparity stems from the flapping techniques the creatures use as they power their way through the air.

DIFFERENT WAKES | The aerodynamic wake behind a flying bat (Glossophaga soricina, left) is substantially different from that produced by a flying bird (Delichon urbica or house martin, right), in large part because of overall differences in body structure and in wing-flapping techniques, new studies suggest.