#214 In the field: Brookgreen Gardens Workshop, con't . . .

Yesterday was the last day of my 3-day 2012 Brookgreen Gardens Bird Anatomy and Sculpture Workshop;
see yesterday's post.  For more information about bird anatomy, refer to the REFERENCE link under PAGES.

All birds - from the tiny hummingbird to the giant albatross - have the same basic feather groupings.  Once these
are known, the sculptor simply researches the individual bird to be modeled to establish relative proportions.

There are four basic wing shapes and all birds fall into a semblance of one of the four configurations.
The size and shape of wings give clues to how the bird lives:

1.  Long and wide wings are used by soaring birds
     such as hawks, eagles, and ravens.  A wing is
     considered long when it exceeds the length of
     the bird's body.
   




2.  Narrow and pointed wings are used by fast
     flying birds such as swallows, swifts, and many
     migratory birds such as ducks and geese.





3.  Long and narrow wings are used by gliding
     birds such as albatrosses, gulls, fulmars,
     shearwaters, and terns.




4.  Wide and rounded wings are used for short,
     fast and quick-escape flight birds such as
     grouse, pheasants, pigeons, and owls.

Please go to HOME, then to REFERENCE under PAGES and click on Posts #143 and #144.

Wing drawings, copyright Sandy Scott, from the book Spirit of the Wild Things - The Art of Sandy Scott
sandyscott.com/sandyscottbronzh.html