Leonardo da Vinci’s proposed flying machine modeled on flapping bird wings is called an ornithopter.
Leonardo studied birds and bats because he believed their flight could reveal principles useful to human aviation. His notebooks contain several drawings of machines with wings moved by mechanical force, including designs in which a pilot would operate pedals, levers, or other mechanisms.
An ornithopter is defined by flapping wings, not simply by having wings. Leonardo’s machines were therefore different from his aerial screw, which used a rotating helical surface. None of his ornithopter designs achieved sustained human flight.
The word ornithopter comes from Greek roots meaning “bird” and “wing.” Modern experimental ornithopters have flown, but they generally use motors and lightweight materials rather than the human-powered mechanisms Leonardo imagined.