Meeting Abstract
Using high-speed 3D video and a synchronized custom data acquisition station, we measured the kinematics and force profiles of several species of diurnal raptors during takeoff and subsequent in-flight maneuvering. This study was performed during bird-banding by the Cape May Raptor Banding Project, allowing us to study birds under natural conditions in the field. This study design also enables measurements on many individuals for multiple raptor species including Cooper’s Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks. We describe in detail our custom integrated field 3D video recording station that uses Streampix software to capture synchronized video from three 90 frame/s cameras in tandem with synchronized audio, force, and wind velocity data from additional sensors. Custom Matlab image processing code was used to track features on the birds in flight, and then DLTdv5 was used to compute 3D flightpaths. These reconstructions were used to determine velocity and acceleration profiles during takeoff. A parallel effort in collaboration with a falconer allowed us to also collect force profiles during take-off. We present results for the acceleration and maneuvering capabilities of these birds during realistic field conditions.
