Six rules for righting the bird against the wind
Lowering or raising the opposite wing, and setting the tail, to recover balance
This page is a compact set of six paired rules for keeping the flying bird level as the wind takes different parts of its body. When the wing and tail lie too far upwind, the bird lowers the half of the opposite wing to catch the wind; when they lie downwind, it raises the opposite wing, kept less oblique, to straighten itself (texts 1-2). The same logic is applied to the wing-and-breast and wing-and-back cases (texts 3-4), and finally to the rear of the body, which is balanced by setting the tail upwind or downwind (texts 5-6). Small pen sketches of birds banking in these attitudes run down the right margin.
On this page
Wing and tail upwind or downwind
If the wing and tail are too far upwind, lower the half of the opposite wing and receive the wind's impact within it, and the bird straightens. If they are downwind, raise the opposite wing, kept less oblique than the one opposite, and it straightens.
Wing and breast, wing and back
If the wing and breast are upwind, lower the half of the opposite wing, which the wind strikes and throws back up to straighten the bird. If the wing and back are downwind, raise the opposite wing and show it to the wind, and the bird immediately straightens.
Balancing the rear of the body with the tail
If the bird is upwind on its rear part, put the tail downwind and the forces are balanced. If the rear part is downwind, enter with the tail upwind and it straightens.