Bird Wings Aren’t Optimized for Maximum Flight, Study Finds

A Nature Communications study analyzed 1,139 images of bird wings with theoretical morphospace to test if wings are optimized for flight. Results show that for most birds, wing shapes are not tuned for maximum flight efficiency; hummingbirds and penguins come closest to the predicted optimal shapes, while flightless birds like ostriches are far from optimal. Albatross wings illustrate a constraint: their long, thin wings aid long-distance travel but hinder landing, a necessary trade‑off for breeding. The findings challenge the idea that natural selection always yields the most efficient flight and suggest wing shapes reflect diverse lifestyles and energetic demands, with potential bioinspired engineering implications.