Aerial righting in juvenile birds

What is it about?

We dropped young Chukar Partridges as they grew from hatching to fledging. We found birds quickly developed the ability to right themselves when dropped upside down. First, they used asymmetric flapping (one wing more strongly than the other) to roll. Later, they used symmetric flapping (both wings equally) to pitch. Righting occurs before behaviors (wing assisted incline running) which others have postulated to be important in the evolution of avian flight.

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Why is it important?

Righting is a complex aerial maneuver; observing it early in developing birds suggests aerial maneuvering may have been important in the early evolution of flight.