Flapping Flight Flapping flight is a more complicated process. The bird's wing changes shape during both the up and down stroke. It also changes its angle of attack depending on how much it presses down and how much it pushes backwards. Flapping flight is basically rowing in the air with the added complication that it needs to generate lift as well. If a Blue Tit stops flapping its wings it better be about to land on a branch or it will fall to the ground.
Wing loading is another important way of assessing how and how well a bird flies.
Wing loading is the ratio of wing area to weight. These pages are here free for you to use, I would like to keep them that way, however making and running this site, and the other sites I am currently making or have made, on Birds, Mammals, Insects and Fish and Bacteria costs money. There are simple ways you can help. By using the search engines here you make me 2 or 3 cents a time, by buying goods from Discovery Store you also help. Why not use the special Earthlife Web search page for all your future searches.