Leonardo da Vinci’s bird-inspired flying machine is called an ornithopter.
The word ornithopter comes from Greek roots meaning “bird” and “wing.” Leonardo’s surviving notebooks contain several studies of machines whose wings would flap through mechanical action, copying the movement of large birds and bats. His designs included wing frames, joints, and systems of levers intended to transfer power from a pilot’s arms and legs.
Leonardo did not build a successful human-powered ornithopter, and no evidence shows that one of his flying machines ever left the ground. The designs were important because they applied close observation of bird anatomy to a mechanical problem. Leonardo studied birds, air currents, balance, and wing structure while exploring flight.
An ornithopter is not the same as Leonardo’s aerial screw, which used a helical surface and is often compared with a helicopter rotor. It is also different from a glider, which relies on fixed wings and moving air rather than flapping wings.