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A typical soaring bird profile
with a large aspect ratio - wings that are very long compared to
their width. Sea birds use the winds to fly far more than they
use their muscles - they're mainly for getting airborne. Some
albatrosses even have a mechanism in the wing joint whereby the wing
"clicks" into place, so they don't even need to use much energy
holding their wings up if the wind drops a little.
Picture courtesy NOAA |