Gallery
Here are some slow-motion video clips of animals in flight from my lab’s research. The video clips are available in mp4, AVI, Quicktime & Windows Media containers. The mp4 files use the widely available h.264 codec while the AVI files are encoded with an mpeg4 video codec; Macintosh and Windows users may need to install the XviD video codec to play them. Linux users should be able to display them as long as the FFMPEG libraries are installed. Quicktime and Windows Media files should play well in the appropriate platform-specific viewers.
A hawk moth (Manduca sexta) hovering in front of and preparing to feed from an artificial flower. The video plays back at 1/66th normal speed.
mp4 – AVI – Quicktime – Windows Media
A cockatiel flying at 13 meters per second in the Concord Field Station wind tunnel. This is a medium to fast speed for a cockatiel but well within its aerobic power output. The bird should be able to maintain this speed for long periods. 1/25th normal speed.
mp4 – AVI – Quicktime – Windows Media
A cockatiel flying at 1 meter per second in the Concord Field Station wind tunnel. Cockatiels can only maintain such a slow speed for a few seconds before tiring. This video plays back at 1/25th normal speed.
mp4 – AVI – Quicktime – Windows Media
A study of hawkmoths experiencing flight perturbations as they fly in a von Kármán vortex street. The moth is experiences large yaw perturbations as it tries to maintain position and feed from an artificial nectar source.
We spend a lot of time examining how hawkmoths and other insects fly, but thought it would also be nice to show you some of the other important events in their lives such as the transition from pupae to adult.