How oscillating aerodynamic forces explain the timbre of the hummingbird’s hum and other animals in flapping flight

Hightower, Ben J; Wijnings, Patrick W.A.; Scholte, R.; Ingersoll, Rivers; Chin, Diana D.; Nguyen, Jade; Shorr, Daniel; Lentink, David

doi:10.7554/elife.63107

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Body mass and wing size of the recorded specimens were not measured; however, such characteristics are observably different between the four species, and the difference in wingbeat frequency may be attributable to this difference in size. Body mass is a strong predictor of radiated acoustic power as the aerodynamic forces needed to stay aloft must be proportionally larger for heavier insects [85]. Past research demonstrates that variation in wingbeat frequency can be best described by incorporating body mass and wing area, of which the relative importance is 17.3% and 67.2%, respectively [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chasing Flies: The Use of Wingbeat Frequency as a Communication Cue in Calyptrate Flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)

Pinto

Magni

O’Brien

et al. 2022

Insects

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The incidental sound produced by the oscillation of insect wings during flight provides an opportunity for species identification. Calyptrate flies include some of the fastest and most agile flying insects, capable of rapid changes in direction and the fast pursuit of conspecifics. This flight pattern makes the continuous and close recording of their wingbeat frequency difficult and limited to confined specimens. Advances in sound editor and analysis software, however, have made it possible to isolate low amplitude sounds using noise reduction and pitch detection algorithms. To explore differences in wingbeat frequency between genera and sex, 40 specimens of three-day old Sarcophaga crassipalpis, Lucilia sericata, Calliphora dubia, and Musca vetustissima were individually recorded in free flight in a temperature-controlled room. Results showed significant differences in wingbeat frequency between the four species and intersexual differences for each species. Discriminant analysis classifying the three carrion flies resulted in 77.5% classified correctly overall, with the correct classification of 82.5% of S. crassipalpis, 60% of C. dubia, and 90% of L. sericata, when both mean wingbeat frequency and sex were included. Intersexual differences were further demonstrated by male flies showing significantly higher variability than females in three of the species. These observed intergeneric and intersexual differences in wingbeat frequency start the discussion on the use of the metric as a communication signal by this taxon. The success of the methodology demonstrated differences at the genus level and encourages the recording of additional species and the use of wingbeat frequency as an identification tool for these flies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chasing Flies: The Use of Wingbeat Frequency as a Communication Cue in Calyptrate Flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)

Pinto

Magni

O’Brien

et al. 2022

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These software solutions also allow the fine-scale kinematics of animals’ motion and/or postures/poses to be related to other streams of data, such as contemporaneous acoustic ( 18 , 19 ) or neural ( 20 ) recordings. Appropriate experimental design and methodology is crucial, however, as indoor environments (usually limited in space, volume, and complexity) can be divorced from conditions that give rise to the behaviors themselves and may even cause the animals to exhibit a limited set of behaviors ( 21 , 22 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SMART-BARN: Scalable multimodal arena for real-time tracking behavior of animals in large numbers

Nagy,

Naik,

Kano

et al. 2023

Sci. Adv.

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The SMART-BARN (scalable multimodal arena for real-time tracking behavior of animals in large numbers) achieves fast, robust acquisition of movement, behavior, communication, and interactions of animals in groups, within a large (14.7 meters by 6.6 meters by 3.8 meters), three-dimensional environment using multiple information channels. Behavior is measured from a wide range of taxa (insects, birds, mammals, etc.) and body size (from moths to humans) simultaneously. This system integrates multiple, concurrent measurement techniques including submillimeter precision and high-speed (300 hertz) motion capture, acoustic recording and localization, automated behavioral recognition (computer vision), and remote computer-controlled interactive units (e.g., automated feeders and animal-borne devices). The data streams are available in real time allowing highly controlled and behavior-dependent closed-loop experiments, while producing comprehensive datasets for offline analysis. The diverse capabilities of SMART-BARN are demonstrated through three challenging avian case studies, while highlighting its broad applicability to the fine-scale analysis of collective animal behavior across species.

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“…In courtship display, peacock feathers perform the train-rattling using a range of vibration frequencies (22-28 Hz); higher damping of feathers broadens the resonant peaks and has the advantage of quickly damping out oscillations [29]. In addition to furnishing flight, the various acoustic communication functions are served by pressure waves when birds flap their wings [30]. The flag model was used to explain the fluttering and accompanying sound by the outermost tail feathers, that subtle changes in shape tune the produced sound frequency [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Vanes in the Damping of Bird Feathers

et al. 2023

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Bird feathers sustain bending and vibrations during flight. Such unwanted vibrations could potentially cause noise and flight instabilities. Damping could alter the system response, resulting in improving quiet flight, stability, and controllability. Vanes of feathers are known to be indispensable for supporting the aerodynamic function of the wings. The relationship between the hierarchical structures of vanes and the mechanical properties of the feather has been previously studied. However, still little is known about their relationship with feathers’ damping properties. Here, the role of vanes in feathers’ damping properties was quantified. The vibrations of the feathers with vanes and the bare shaft without vanes after step deflections in the plane of the vanes and perpendicular to it were measured using high-speed video recording. The presence of several main natural vibration modes was observed in the feathers with vanes. After trimming vanes, more vibration modes were observed, the fundamental frequencies increased by 51–70%, and the damping ratio decreased by 38–60%. Therefore, we suggest that vanes largely increase feather damping properties. Damping mechanisms based on the morphology of feather vanes are discussed. The aerodynamic damping is connected with the planar vane surface, the structural damping is related to the interlocking between barbules and barbs, and the material damping is caused by the foamy medulla inside barbs.

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How oscillating aerodynamic forces explain the timbre of the hummingbird’s hum and other animals in flapping flight

Cited by 7 publications

References 85 publications

Chasing Flies: The Use of Wingbeat Frequency as a Communication Cue in Calyptrate Flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)

Chasing Flies: The Use of Wingbeat Frequency as a Communication Cue in Calyptrate Flies (Diptera: Calyptratae)

SMART-BARN: Scalable multimodal arena for real-time tracking behavior of animals in large numbers

The Role of Vanes in the Damping of Bird Feathers

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