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Creation-Evolution Headlines is one of the best resources on the whole internet. The topic of the little birds called 'swifts' caught my attention.

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Swifts Don’t Just Dream of Flying... 04/29/2007

...they fly while dreaming. Did you know that swifts, the aerial acrobats of the air, sleep on the wing? That’s not all, they adapt their wing shape to turn on a dime. Science Daily summarized the cover story of Nature this week (April 26) that examined “wing morphing” in swifts – their ability to change wing shape in flight.

Swifts live almost their entire life airborne. They do not land to eat, drink, or sleep. Imagine!

I'm tempted to re-evaluate whether swallows should remain my favourite bird.



SD article on swifts says
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The scientists figured all this out when they measured just how much lift and drag a swift wing generates. The wings were tested to their limit in a windtunnel at speeds of up to 108 km/h (30 metres per second).Scientists compared extended and swept wings, and learnt that flying slowly with extended wings gives swifts maximum flight efficiency. But swept wings deliver a better aerodynamic performance for flying fast and straight. Swept wings are also better for fast and tight turns; but this time swept wings are better because they do not break as easily as extended wings.

It's not the newest of news, of course, that long, narrow wings are best for gliding. But some readers might recall an earlier discussion of bats, where it was erroneously asserted that short, stubby wings are better-suited for gliding.

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I must also recommend
Photos of Swifts

Dark Matter + Dark Energy = Dark Truth

"We find that such evidence demonstrates that the ID argument is dependent upon setting a scientifically unreasonable burden of proof for the theory of evolution." - Judge Jones Kitzmiller case
http://www.talkreason.org/articles/Falsify.cfm

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