Wing-assisted incline running

Wing-assisted incline running (abbreviated as "WAIR") is a running behavior observed in living birds as well as a model proposed to explain the evolution of avian flight. WAIR allows birds to run up steep or vertical inclines by flapping their wings, scaling greater inclines than possible through running alone. The WAIR origin-of-flight hypothesis proposes that the nascent wings of theropod dinosaurs were used to propel the animal up slopes, such as cliffs or trees, in a similar manner to that employed by modern birds, and that powered flight eventually evolved from this usage.[1] During its proposal, it was suggested that WAIR might have plausibly been used by feathered theropods like Caudipteryx to develop aerial flight.[2]

  1. ^ Bicudo, J. Eduardo (May 26, 2010). Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Birds. Oxford University Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0199228454.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dial2003WAIR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).