Leonardo da Vinci designed an ornithopter as a human-powered flying machine with flapping wings. The concept appears in his studies of bird flight and anatomy, where he explored how wings might generate lift and thrust.
Leonardo’s proposed machine used a frame, wings, and mechanical arrangements intended to imitate a bird’s movement. It was never built as a practical aircraft, because human muscles cannot provide enough sustained power for a bird-sized flapping machine.
An ornithopter is not the same as a glider or a helicopter. A glider uses fixed wings and forward motion, while a helicopter uses rotating blades. Leonardo also investigated gliding and screw-like flight, but the flapping-wing design is specifically called an ornithopter.