Spring is when the natural world bursts to life. Leaves start unfurling, wildflowers start blooming — and wings start whirring! From flip-flapping butterflies and buzzing bees to speedy swallows and noisy cuckoos, our skies and gardens become busy with birds and flying insects.
For a creature to fly it needs to have wings, which help to lift it into the air. In the natural world, wings come in all shapes and sizes. But how much do we know about them?
Fact file
- The tiniest bird wings in the country belong to the goldcrest. Together they measure around 15cm, or half a school ruler!
- Only one kind of mammal has wings it can fly with — bats! These amazing little creatures usually sleep in the day then appear at sundown, flitting through the sky like acrobats.
- Butterflies are insects with big, colourful wings. Almost 60 different kinds of butterflies can be found in the UK, from the bright yellow brimstone to the beautifully patterned peacock.
- Here in the UK, the bird with the largest wingspan is the white-tailed sea eagle. Its feathers stretch out for up to 2.4 metres.
- Lots of the birds that visit us in spring, like swifts and swallows, have used their wings to fly here all the way from Africa!
- All bird species have wings. Even birds like ostriches and penguins have them, although their wings are far too small to fly with.
- Most insect species have wings — in fact, lots of them have two pairs. Amazingly, some tiny midges beat their wings as quickly as 1,000 times a second.
Photo credit: vejaa / tony mills / Adobe Stock
