Kestrel flight stability could inform design of drones

The study conducted in RMIT’s Industrial Wind Tunnel facility is the first to precisely measure the stability of a Nankeen Kestrel’s head during hovering flight, finding movement of less than 5mm when exhibiting hunting behaviour. The team’s findings are detailed in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Using camera and motion capture technology, the research team observed two Nankeen Kestrels, trained by Leigh Valley Hawk and Owl Sanctuary, at high resolution. Fitted with reflective markers, the birds’ precise movements and flight control techniques during non-flapping flight were tracked in detail.

“Previous studies involved birds casually flying through turbulence and gusts within wind tunnels; in our study we tracked a unique wind hovering flight behaviour whereby the birds are actively maintaining extreme steadiness, enabling us to study the pure control response without flapping,” said Dr Mohamed.

By mapping these movements, the researchers gained insights that could be utilised to achieve steadier flight for fixed wing aircrafts.