> [!info] Metadata > * publication:: [[The Iceberg]] > * related:: [[2022-04-25 Bats]] > * link:: [wings](https://newsletter.eleanorkonik.com/wings) %% ( [[2022-03-21 Wings (DRAFT)]] ) %% # Wings > I'm still working on that novella featuring a winged species of sentient, lactating egglayers. The story involves at least one aerial battle, which means I needed to know a lot more about how wing designs impact speed and manoeuvrability. Plus, I was curious how plausible a flying humanoid would be. ## Quick Facts - The [ultraviolet patterns on the wings of butterflies](https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f9e9b3a2ece750ff6fabdea313864a3130a77d21) are determined by the [flavonoid content](https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-flavonoids-everything-you-need-to-know) of the larval diet. - The [shape of bird wings](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2007.00714.x) is mostly impacted by migration distance, sexual selection, and foraging strategies. For example, the wings of migrating species of birds have a higher aspect ratio with a longer and more slender shape compared to nonmigrating species. - Male finches tend to have more [rounded wings](https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1095-8312.2009.01269.X), which offer more maneuverability — which helps the males maintain their territories. - Birds [change the shape and area of their wings](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2017.0224) (more than insects or bats), which lets them optimize for a variety of tasks. - _Quetzalcoatlus northropi_ (an enormous North American pterosaur) could weigh up to [250 kg and had wingspans 11 meters wide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus), which is about as big as scientists think animals can get and still fly. ## Wing Shape Bats hawking high-flying insects have small, pointed wings which make them fast and agile. Bats that hunt for insects hiding in vegetation have short, broad wings with round wingtips, which offers good maneuverability when moving slowly. Bats that fish over over open stretches of water have very [long wings and with rounded tips](https://doi.org/10.1098/RSTB.1987.0030) for control and stability in flight. ## Migration Matters Migratory dragonflies tend to have [a lobe about 1/4 from the bases of their wings](https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1095-8312.2009.01211.X); their wings are usually narrower on the outer half, with a frontal tip that points more inward. Some dragonfly males guard their mates from competition by either holding onto them (tandem) or flying around nearby (noncontact). Noncontact guarding requires the males to do a lot of fancy flying, so you'd think this would impact how their wing shapes evolved, but it turns out the differences aren't statistically significant. ## Forager Fitness Insect wings get damaged when they fly. It can happen due to how often or how long they fly — and how often they run into obstacles. Since [insects tend to die when their wings get worn out](https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/214/11/1896/10327/What-causes-wing-wear-in-foraging-bumble-bees), how often they hit obstructions has a pretty big impact on their lifespan. Bumblebees that forage for food (instead of working inside the colony or guarding it) tend to show more wing wear, which means they die earlier. %% [[foraging behavior is linked with lifespan]] %% ## Tiny Turbines Mosquitoes are weird; their wing sweep is half the angle of other "shallow" fliers like honeybees. Instead of directly creating "lift" with their wings, mosquitoes basically create [little vortexes and ride the tornados](https://www.popsci.com/how-mosquitoes-fly/) to get off the ground. Once airborne, they rotate their wings in some pretty weird ways to keep creating little vortexes. Scientists still aren't sure why they evolved this energy-intensive method, but I personally can't get superheroes like [Red Tornado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Tornado) out of my head when I think about it.