Vorticity field near wing reversal of a moving wing (white: wing; blue: counter clockwise fluid rotation; red: clockwise fluid rotation). Optimized flapping motion can be more efficient than classical airfoil wing motion.

From the article:

Flapping Wing Flight Can Save Aerodynamic Power Compared to Steady Flight
Umberto Pesavento and Z. Jane Wang
Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 118102 (2009)

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