LAUNCH/LAND
Birds launch themselves into flight by moving their wings straight up and pushing off simultaneously with their legs. It is a lightning-fast move with quickness required for survival. Birds low on the food chain become a meal without this quickness and predators starve without it.
Landing is the most perilous part of flight. Birds can be clumsy and awkward as they fight the physics, transitioning from wings to feet, and flight speed to a stop. They flare their wings into a giant hood-shaped arch to slow their speed and maximize their lift. Approaching touchdown, the shape of the feathers on the wing change, first to increase lift and then, an instant before touchdown, to spoil the lift. Wing flaps, leading-edge flaps, and spoilers on a commercial jet are designed to do the same thing.