Wings

Overview

Wings are the paired appendages that enable powered or gliding flight in animals such as birds and insects, and they are studied for their morphology, development, and biomechanical performance. In birds, the wing is a modified forelimb whose feathered surfaces generate lift and thrust, with shape, area, and structure adapted to flight style; analysis of flight performance, as in the profiling of young racing pigeons during training, links wing function to aerodynamic capability and endurance. Wing and overall body morphology also reflect growth and ecological adaptation, illustrated by functional analyses of postnatal development in wild ducks, where morphometric data inform understanding of maturation. In insects, wings arise developmentally and depend on patterning of the wing blade and its supporting venation; classical studies of wing-vein traits such as crossveinless phenotypes illuminate developmental genetics and the canalization of morphological characters. Wing morphology serves multiple biological roles, including locomotion, dispersal, and, in some taxa, behaviours connected to foraging and reproduction. Comparative study of wings across avian and insect groups addresses the relationship between form and function, the development of flight structures, and their adaptation to different modes of movement. By examining wing anatomy, development, and flight mechanics, ornithology and related biological fields connect structural design to performance, ecology, and the evolution of flight in diverse flying animals.

Research published in this journal

7 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 7 articles above have been cited 19 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

• Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
  2025 · Frontiers in Veterinary Science
• Adaptive cross-country optimisation strategies in thermal soaring birds
  2025 · iScience
• Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
  Maurice Pitesky et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Veterinary Science
• THE EFFECT OF THYMOL ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
  Meltem Erdem Kucuk et al. · 2023 · Journal of Applied Biological Sciences
• Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Serine Protein Kinase (CASK) Gene Polymorphisms in Pigeons
  2023 · Animals
• THE EFFECT OF THYMOL ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
  2023 · Journal of Applied Biological Sciences
• Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Serine Protein Kinase (CASK) Gene Polymorphisms in Pigeons
  A. Dybus et al. · 2023 · Animals
• Evaluation of artificial diets based on different legume seeds on the nutritional physiology and digestive function ofHelicoverpa armigera(Hübner)
  2023 · Bulletin of Entomological Research

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Wings, linking to each citing work.

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.

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