Abstract:
A bird decoy is disclosed comprising a body having an upper body member, a lower body member and a pair of wings. The wing members are releasably coupled to the decoy using a flexible mounting assembly that allows the wings to move independently with, and in response to, the wind. The decoy is imprinted with the feather patterns and colorings of a selected species and sex of bird. A stand is removably coupled to the decoy so that the body may move slightly in response to the wind. Accordingly, the decoy mimics the realistic appearance and movement of a select species and sex of bird while remaining both durable and collapsible for easy transport and storage.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a bird decoy and more particularly to a decoy shaped to resemble one of a goose, duck, or other bird, having a body and wings that move when engaged by the wind to mimic lifelike bird movement. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   There are several styles of decoys, resembling many different species of birds being used by hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. Some of the prior art decoys are “full-bodied” which makes them difficult to transport from one location to another due to their bulk. Other types of prior art decoys include vertical silhouettes that are easier to store and carry into the field. However, such decoys lack the necessary realistic appearance of a live bird. Additionally, many prior art decoys lack the strength and durability needed for repeated use in the field. 
   One of the greatest downfalls of traditional decoys is their inability to mimic lifelike movement. Natural movement by a decoy logically completes the realism “formula” that should be used when attempting to attract birds. Prior art decoys that do provide movement are typically complex in structure and lack the durability required to last through several seasons of use in the field. Moreover, the power used by prior art decoys to generate movement is usually supplied by electrical power sources or manual effort through the use of “puppet strings” that occupy the user&#39;s attention and readiness. 
   Accordingly, what is needed is a bird decoy having a realistic appearance, that can simply and reliably mimic natural movement, and is capable of being easily stored and transported. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A decoy is disclosed which can closely resemble one of many different species of birds, such as geese, ducks, and other birds. The decoy is constructed such that it is easily transported and assembled. The decoy includes a horizontally disposed upper body member that is formed to define a tail portion, a back portion, a breast portion, and an abdomen portion. The body member is imprinted with the body coloring and feather patterns of a selected species of bird. 
   An elongated lower body member is removably secured to the upper body member adjacent the breast portion of the upper body member. The lower body member is provided with head and neck portions, which may take various shapes and positions, depending on the desired use of the decoy. The lower body member is preferably imprinted with the neck and head markings of the selected species of bird. 
   A pair of elongated wing members are removably coupled to the lower body member, adjacent the upper body member, using a flexible mounting assembly which allows the wings to move independently from the body of the decoy when they are engaged by the wind. The independent movement of the wings with respect to the body mimics a number of natural “flight” and “landing” wing movements. As with the upper and lower body members, the wing members are preferably imprinted with the characteristic wing markings of the selected species of bird. 
   An elongated stand is removably secured to the underside of the decoy and vertically inserted into the ground to support the decoy a selected distance from the ground. The design of the stand is adapted to prevent the stand from rotating in the ground and with respect to the decoy. The stand is loosely coupled to the decoy to allow a slight side-to-side movement of the decoy when it is engaged by the wind to further increase the decoy&#39;s ability to mimic natural movement. 
   It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved bird decoy. 
   A further object of the invention is to provide an improved bird decoy that closely resembles one of several species of birds including at least geese and ducks. 
   A further object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy that moves with, and reacts to, the wind. 
   Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy that maintains its position even in high winds. 
   A further object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy having detachable wings. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy having wings that move freely with, and react to, the wind. 
   Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy having a body that moves freely with, and reacts to, the wind. 
   Still another object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy that is easily transportable in either an unassembled or partially assembled condition. 
   Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bird decoy that is easily stored. 
   These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the bird decoy of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the bird decoy of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the bird decoy of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an additional exploded perspective view of the bird decoy of  FIG. 2 ; and 
       FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of the bird decoy of  FIG. 2 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The bird decoy of this invention is referred to generally by the reference numeral  10  in  FIGS. 1-5 . For simplicity of description only, the bird decoy  10  of the present invention will be depicted and described as the same is configured to closely resemble a goose. It is contemplated that the structures described herein, and the methods of assembling the same, are equally applicable to decoys resembling geese, ducks, turkeys, pheasants, quail, and nearly any other species of bird. 
   The body of the bird decoy  10  is preferably comprised of a generally horizontally disposed upper body member  12  having an upper surface  14  and a lower surface  16 . A tail portion  18  is formed at the rearward end of the upper body member  12 . The body of the bird decoy  10  is further comprised of an elongated lower body member  20  that is removably secured to the lower surface  16  of the upper body member  12  using at least one bolt  21 . Although it is contemplated that other similar fasteners could be used in place of the bolt  21 , such as screws, hook-and-loop fasteners, snaps, rivets, or various adhesives. The bolt  21  and similar fasteners provide a sturdy connection between the upper body member  12  and the lower body member  20  while being easily removed for disassembly of the bird decoy  10 . 
   The lower body member  20  is generally comprised of a head portion  24  and a neck portion  22 . It is contemplated that the head portion  24  and neck portion  22  could be provided with a shape imitating the positions typically assumed by birds during certain activities, such as flying, drinking, feeding, etc. In fact, it is contemplated that the lower body member  20  could be at least partially formed of a flexible material or otherwise provided with rotating and/or hinging joints to alter the position of the head  24  and neck  22 . 
   Wing members  26  and  28  are provided, having the general shape of bird wings, with inner edge portions  30  and  32  and outer end edge portions  34  and  36 . Wing members  26  and  28  are pivotably connected to the lower body member  20  using at least one resilient hinge member  38 . Two or more resilient hinge members  38  and  40  are preferably used to provide greater stability to the connection between the wings  26  and  28  to the lower body member  20 . In a preferred embodiment, resilient hinge members  38  and  40  are formed from metal springs. However, it is contemplated that resilient hinge members  38  and  40  could be formed of a flexible yet resilient plastic or rubber material (or a synthetic combination thereof). The grade and type of material used to form the resilient hinge members  38  and  40  should be chosen according to the amount of movement desired by the decoy (discussed hereinbelow) as well as the horizontal positioning of the wings at rest. 
   In a preferred embodiment, the resilient hinge members  38  and  40  are disposed transversely through openings formed in the sides of the lower body member  20  so that the opposite end portions of resilient hinge members  38  and  40  can be releasably connected to wing members  26  and  28  using bolts  42  and nuts  44 . As with the bolts  21  discussed previously, other similar methods of attachment will be understood in the art and selected for their ability to enable the wings  26  and  28  to be easily mounted and removed as well as for their durability. In this embodiment, it is preferred that retaining clips  41  be used on either side of the lower body member  20  to retain the resilient hinge members  38  and  40  and prevent the same from being unintentionally removed from the lower body member  20 . 
   In an alternate embodiment, shorter resilient hinge members  38  and  40  could be secured through conventional mechanical means to the exterior of the lower body member  20 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . This provides for true independent movement of the wings  26  and  28 . In this embodiment, the wings  26  and  28  are releasably connected to the resilient hinge members as discussed previously. 
   An elongated support stand  46  is provided having a plurality of prongs  48 A and  48 B that are adapted to be received by openings  50 A and  50 B, which are formed in the lower surface of the lower body member  20 . This arrangement provides a stable platform on which the decoy  10  can be supported. It is preferred that the openings  50 A and  50 B have a diameter that is greater than the cross-sectional diameter of prongs  48 A and  48 B. This arrangement allows the lower body portion to pivot from side to side with respect to the support stand  46 . At the opposite end of the support stand  46  it is preferred that two or more prongs  52 A and  52 B be provided having a shape that enables them to be disposed within the ground. It is contemplated that the lower end of support stand  46  could be disposed within the ground without the use of prongs  52 A and  52 B. However, prongs  52 A and  52 B will provide rotational stability to the support stand  46  with respect to the ground. Likewise, prongs  48 A and  48 B prevent rotation of the decoy  10  with respect to the support stand  46  and the ground. A generally horizontal member  54  is preferably disposed between prongs  52 A and  52 B. The horizontal support  54  provides a surface on which the user can use his foot or other object to press downwardly and insert the prongs  52 A and  52 B into the ground. Moreover, the space provided between horizontal support  54  and support  56  allow the user to easily insert his hand or other instrument and pull upwardly on support  56  to remove the support stand  46  from the ground. This may be particularly helpful in those instances where the support stand  46  has become frozen within the ground. 
   After the assembly of the decoy  10 , it can be positioned for use. It is preferred that the support stand  46  be inserted into the ground so that the forwardmost prong  48 B is faced into the direction of an oncoming wind current. In this position, the support stand  46  will receive the bird decoy  10  so that its head portion  24  is pointed into the wind with its upper body member  12  and wing members  26  and  28  being positioned at a slight incline. In this position, the broad shape of the upper body member  12  and wing members  26  and  28  will engage the wind current as its passes by the bird decoy  10 . As the wind current engages wing members  26  and  28 , they will deflect in an upward direction a distance commensurate with the strength of the wind current and the resiliency of the resilient hinge members  38  and  40 . The weight of the wing members  26  and  28  will, as the wind current fluctuates, cause the wing members  26  and  28  to move downwardly. The resilient properties of the hinge members  38  and  40  in combination with the wind current will cause the wing members  26  and  28  to mimic a natural “flapping” motion exhibited by a bird&#39;s wings in flight. 
   Similarly, the wind will engage the broad shape of the upper body member  12 , causing the same to lift upwardly. A retaining member  58  is coupled to an eye screw  60  disposed within the lower body member  20 . The opposite end of retaining member  58  is coupled to the support stand  46  at a suitable position thereon. In a preferred embodiment, the retaining member  58  is comprised of a resilient material such as rubber, plastic, or other synthetic polymer; however, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that other similar materials or rigid retaining structures made of metal, plastic or wood could be used. When the retaining member  58  is engaged, the bird decoy  10  is prevented from being lifted off of the support stand  46 . Rather, the wind current causes the bird decoy  10  to pivot slightly from side to side with respect to the support stand  46 . The upward and downward motion of wing members  26  and  28  will further facilitate the slight side-to-side motion of the bird decoy  10 . 
   To provide for an additional element of visual realism, each of the upper body member  12 , lower body member  20 , and wing members  26  and  28  should be imprinted with markings, such as the feather patterns and colors indicative of the sex and species of the subject bird. Due to the movement and angular position of the bird decoy  10  while it is in use, it is contemplated that the feather markings and colors should be provided on both sides of the relevant structures to further the realistic appearance of the bird decoy  10 . 
   In the drawings and in the specification, there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and although specific items are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and proportion of parts, as well as a substitution of equivalents, are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims. 
   Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.