Leonardo da Vinci designed an ornithopter, a human-powered flying machine with flapping wings modeled on bird anatomy. The term combines Greek words meaning “bird” and “wing.”
Leonardo studied birds extensively and filled notebooks with observations about wing movement, balance, feathers, and air currents. His proposed machine generally placed a pilot inside a framework who would operate wings through pedals, levers, or other mechanical linkages.
The design was an ambitious attempt to imitate powered animal flight, but human muscles cannot provide enough sustained power for a machine of that kind. Leonardo also explored gliding and aerial-screw concepts, which are separate ideas from the flapping-wing ornithopter. No surviving evidence shows that he successfully built or flew a full-scale ornithopter.