Leonardo da Vinci studied an ornithopter, an aircraft intended to fly by flapping wings modeled on a bird’s flight.
His notebooks contain many observations of birds, bats, and the mechanics of wings. From these studies, he developed sketches for machines in which a human operator would move large wings through mechanical linkages. The word ornithopter comes from Greek roots meaning “bird” and “wing.”
Leonardo recognized that human muscles alone would probably not supply enough power for a full-sized flapping aircraft. Even so, his work helped connect close observation of animals with engineering design. Some drawings show the pilot lying or standing inside a framework while operating wing mechanisms.
An ornithopter is different from a glider, which remains aloft through lift generated by forward motion and does not flap its wings. Leonardo explored both ideas, but his bird-inspired machines are classified specifically as ornithopters.