Insights on the thermal impacts of wing colorization of migrating birds on their skin friction drag and the choice of their flight route

The thermal effects of wing color in flight is investigated in four species of birds with respect to their flight routes, migration time, and geometric and behavioral characteristics. Considering the marine and atmospheric characteristics of these flight routes, a thermal analysis of the birds’ wings is performed during their migration. The surrounding fluxes including the ocean flux and the solar irradiance are considered in an energy balance in order to determine the skin temperature of both sides of the wing. Applying the Blasius solution for heated boundary layers, it is shown that the color configuration of these migrating birds, namely black on the top side of the wings and white on the bottom side of the wings (“countershading”), results in a skin drag reduction, if compared to some other configurations, when both day and night are taken into consideration. This drag reduction can be considered as one of the effective factors for long endurance of these migrating birds. This research can provide the evolutionary perspective behind the colorization of these migrating birds. •The effect of wing color is investigated in birds with respect to their flight routes.•A thermal analysis of the birds’ wings is performed during their migration.•The black and white on both sides of the wings are efficient in skin drag reduction.•Drag reduction is one of the effective factors for long endurance of the migrating birds.•This research provides the guidelines to select the best color for marine drones.