Title |
Morphometric characterisation of wing feathers of the barn owl Tyto alba pratincola and the pigeon Columba livia
|
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Published in |
Frontiers in Zoology, November 2007
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DOI | 10.1186/1742-9994-4-23 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Thomas Bachmann, Stephan Klän, Werner Baumgartner, Michael Klaas, Wolfgang Schröder, Hermann Wagner |
Abstract |
Owls are known for their silent flight. Even though there is some information available on the mechanisms that lead to a reduction of noise emission, neither the morphological basis, nor the biological mechanisms of the owl's silent flight are known. Therefore, we have initiated a systematic analysis of wing morphology in both a specialist, the barn owl, and a generalist, the pigeon. This report presents a comparison between the feathers of the barn owl and the pigeon and emphasise the specific characteristics of the owl's feathers on macroscopic and microscopic level. An understanding of the features and mechanisms underlying this silent flight might eventually be employed for aerodynamic purposes and lead to a new wing design in modern aircrafts. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Germany | 8 | 4% |
United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
Sweden | 2 | <1% |
Brazil | 1 | <1% |
Pakistan | 1 | <1% |
Netherlands | 1 | <1% |
India | 1 | <1% |
Belgium | 1 | <1% |
Romania | 1 | <1% |
Other | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 203 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 42 | 19% |
Student > Bachelor | 38 | 17% |
Student > Master | 25 | 11% |
Researcher | 23 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 15 | 7% |
Other | 28 | 13% |
Unknown | 51 | 23% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 78 | 35% |
Engineering | 52 | 23% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 3% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 4 | 2% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 4 | 2% |
Other | 19 | 9% |
Unknown | 59 | 27% |