Wind tunnel experiments to assess the effect of back-mounted radio transmitters on bird body drag
Fuller MR, Pennycuick CJ, Obrecht HH. 1987. Wind tunnel experiments to assess the effect of back-mounted radio transmitters on bird body drag. The Journal of Experimental Biology. 135:265-273
The aerodynamic drag of bird bodies was measured in a wind tunnel, with and without back-mounted dummy radio transmitters. Flight performance estimates indicate that the drag of a large transmitter can cause a substantial reduction of a migrant's range, that is, the distance it can cover in non-stop flight. The drag of the transmitter can be reduced by arranging the components in an elongated shape, so minimizing the frontal area. The addition of a rounded fairing to the front end, and a pointed fairing behind, was found to reduce the drag of the transmitter by about one third, as compared with an unfaired rectangular box.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Fuller, Mark; Pennycuick, C.; Obrecht, Holliday
- Units
- ASIS
- Keywords
- Assateague Island, bird monitoring, experimental biology, Radio transmitters