Span efficiency of flying animals
Clicks: 1
ID: 316874
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This
article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score —
reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
Reader Engagement
0.0
/100
1 views
0 readers
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Ranked #100 of 114 articles by views in integrative and comparative biology
Most read
Least read
Bar heights use a square-root scale.
Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet mintedCreate a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.
5
SUSD
one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Abstract Span efficiency, a metric representing the efficiency of lift generation in flying animals, has been measured for birds, bats, and insects using particle image velocimetry over the past two decades. However, inconsistencies in capture and data analysis methods have introduced systematic biases, preventing a unified and fair comparison across diverse taxonomic groups and body sizes. Here, we quantify the impact of these methodological discrepancies using a computational fluid dynamics method, then standardise and synthesise span efficiency data from all thirty species measured to date. We apply a phylogenetic comparative method to evaluate how morphological and kinematic parameters affect span efficiency. Our analysis reveals that efficiency strongly correlates with body mass, suggests that larger flying animals may face stronger selective pressure for high span efficiency. Furthermore, simple theoretical span efficiency predictions for gliding and rotating flight—derived from wing planform and theoretical models—are correlated empirical values enabling reliable predictions of span efficiency in species that have not been measured. As an example of this morphology-based theoretical prediction, we compare the orange oakleaf butterfly, which has a wing planform that closely resembles a leaf for cryptic camouflage, with the migratory monarch butterfly. The monarch butterfly has a substantially higher predicted efficiency, quantifying the aerodynamic cost associated with mimicry. Ultimately, this study sheds new light on the interplay between physical constraints and lineage-specific adaptive strategies in biological flight, while providing a versatile framework to evaluate an aspect of flight performance from wing morphology without the need for intensive wind tunnel experiments.
| Reference Key |
openalex_W7164209625
Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using
SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
|
|---|---|
| Authors | Hiroki Yasuda, Madeleine R Inglis, Yosuke Yamamoto, Per Henningsson, Toshiyuki Nakata, Richard J. Bomphrey |
| Journal | integrative and comparative biology |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1093/icb/icag077
|
| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
Citations
No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.