A Comparative Study of the Musculoskeletal Mechanics of BirdFlight

詹金斯博士的研究记录了 鸟类飞行的角度。 例如，椋鸟的叉骨 看起来像一个弹簧，在下冲程中横向弯曲 并在上冲程期间回缩以帮助肩部回缩。 在 事实上，整个鸟肩（即，锁骨肩胛骨 喙突和相关的胸骨）经历了一个相当 在每一次翼拍中的戏剧性的漂移。 另外通过 监测飞行肌肉的活动模式， 研究人员开始了解 个别肌肉的特定阶段的翼拍周期。 的 目前的研究建议旨在扩大和量化 研究人员的原始观察，并进行比较 研究其他鸟类品种，以探讨 飞行力学

Dr. Jenkins' research has documented previously unknown aspects of bird flight. For example, the wishbone in starlings appears to act as a spring, bending laterally during downstroke and recoiling to assist shoulder retraction during upstroke. In fact, the entire avian shoulder (i.e., clavicles, scapulae, coracoids, and the associated sternum) undergoes a rather dramatic excursion during each wingbeat. In addition, by monitoring the activity patterns of flight muscles the researchers are beginning to understand the contribution of individual muscles to specific phases of the wingbeat cycle. The present research proposal is designed to extend and quantify the researchers' original observations and undertake comparable studies on other bird species to explore the variability of flight mechanics.