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Three-Dimensional Simulation For Fast Forward Flight Of A Calliope Hummingbird, Jialei Song, Bret W. Tobalske, Don Powers, Tyson Hedrick, Haoxiang Luo

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

We present a computational study of flapping-wing aerodynamics of a calliope hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) during fast forward flight. Three-dimensional wing kinematics were incorporated into the model by extracting time-dependent wing position from high-speed videos of the bird flying in a wind tunnel at 8.3 m s⁻¹. The advance ratio, i.e. the ratio between flight speed and average wingtip speed, is around one. An immersed-boundary method was used to simulate flow around the wings and bird body. The result shows that both downstroke and upstroke in a wingbeat cycle produce significant thrust for the bird to overcome …