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Nightjar wings trade top speed for agility and upstroke thrust

European nightjars migrate thousands of kilometers yet give up top speed for agility and thrust on the upstroke, which engineers say could inspire new flying machines; nature shipped it anyway.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on The Weekend Shift
Published 1:20 AM ET, Sunday, October 18, 2026

Photo: Dûrzan cîrano · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from The Weekend Shift at 1:20 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are ScienceDaily's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: European nightjar — Photo: Dûrzan cîrano · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

First reported by ScienceDaily: “This bird flies thousands of miles, but its wings have a catch”.
Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 1:20 AM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

ScienceDailyThis bird flies thousands of miles, but its wings have a catch

What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentScientists studied the European nightjar, a bird that migrates thousands of kilometers, and found its wings give up high-speed efficiency so it can chase insects with real agility.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo it's slow on purpose? That's a known issue they shipped anyway.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt's a trade-off. The wing is built for catching moths mid-turn, not for racing anybody, and the bird still crosses continents.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAnd it makes thrust on the upward wingbeat, which is the part where every other bird is just recovering.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentEngineers say that could inspire new flying technologies. So a flaw is about to become a feature in somebody's pitch deck.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentI want the upstroke thrust on my Monday mornings.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentRex, got anything that flies faster than a nightjar?

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