A perching bird is able to rapidly decelerate while maintaining lift and control, but the underlying aerodynamic mechanism is poorly understood. In this work we perform a study on a simultaneously decelerating and pitching aerofoil section to increase our understanding of the unsteady aerodynamics of perching. We first explore the problem analytically, developing expressions for the added-mass and circulatory forces arising from boundary-layer separation on a flat-plate aerofoil. Next, we study the model problem through a detailed series of experiments at \mathit{Re}=22\,000 and two-dimensional simulations at \mathit{Re}=2000. Simulated vorticity fields agree with particle image velocimetry measurements, showing the same wake features and vorticity magnitudes. Peak lift and drag forces during rapid perching are measured to be more than 10 times the quasi-steady values. The majority of these forces can be attributed to added-mass energy transfer between the fluid and aerofoil, and to energy lost to the fluid by flow separation at the leading and trailing edges. Thus, despite the large angles of attack and decreasing flow velocity, this simple pitch-up manoeuvre provides a means through which a perching bird can maintain high lift and drag simultaneously while slowing to a controlled stop.

A perching bird is able to rapidly decelerate at a high angle of attack while maintaining lift and control. However, the underlying aerodynamic mechanism is poorly understood. We perform a study on a simultaneously decelerating and pitching airfoil section as a simple perching model. First, we use analytic arguments to establish the inertial non-circulatory force on a wing section, and its dependence on the shape change number, τ*, the ratio between the rate of change of frontal dimension and the initial translational velocity. Next, we report that forces measured on a towed and pitched airfoil at Re = 22000, and forces from simulations at Re = 2000, are found to be well above non-circulatory predictions, exhibiting high lift and drag. Flow-field visualizations, both from Particle Image Velocimetry and simulations, reveal strong coherent vortical structures in the wake and near the body. At a higher shape change number, vortices in the wake convect more quickly than at a lower shape change number, generating higher drag. Additionally, separation of the LEV and positive vorticity near the body is reduced at a higher shape change number, increasing lift. Thus wake manipulation through rapid area change provides a means through which a perching bird can maintain high lift and drag simultaneously while slowing to a controlled stop.