Wind tunnel experiments to assess the effect of back-mounted radio transmitters on bird body drag
Journal of Experimental Biology
By: H.H. Obrecht III, C.J. Pennycuick, and M.R. Fuller
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Abstract
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.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Wind tunnel experiments to assess the effect of back-mounted radio transmitters on bird body drag |
| Series title | Journal of Experimental Biology |
| DOI | 10.1242/jeb.135.1.265 |
| Volume | 135 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1988 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Company of Biologists |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 9 p. |
| First page | 265 |
| Last page | 273 |