The fact that birds fly is one of the most amazing things about them. The sight of crows or ravens playing in the wind, of seagulls gliding effortlessly along seashore, kingfishers catching fish, or of buzzards soaring silently about the countryside is always inspiring. Birds are the ultimate flying machines, though insects have been doing it for longer and in many cases are more versatile; their small size makes the physics of it much easier. Birds fly far better than any machinery mankind has yet made and like our machines they use their wings and tails in a variety of ways to achieve their expertise.

Bird flight is dependent on the shape of the birds wings and the way they use them. Generally, bird flight can be divided into two modes of functioning, i.e. gliding or soaring flight, and flapping or powered flight.