Leonardo da Vinci designed an ornithopter as a bird-like flying machine powered by flapping wings.
The word ornithopter comes from Greek roots meaning “bird” and “wing.” Leonardo’s sketches show a machine in which a human operator would use mechanical pedals, levers, and body movement to drive large wings. His studies of birds and bats strongly influenced the design.
Leonardo understood that human muscles could not easily provide enough power for sustained flapping flight. For that reason, the design was never successfully tested as a practical aircraft. Modern ornithopters use engines or other power systems, but Leonardo’s concept belongs to the early history of attempts to imitate animal flight.
The ornithopter is sometimes confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which used a rotating helical surface rather than flapping wings. Neither design became a working aircraft in Leonardo’s lifetime.