How do birds fly? Objective Students will learn about basic avian anatomy and perform a simple flight experiment with paper airplanes Background Be sure to find a large enough space (a gymnasium or lunch room space) to conduct the flight experiements safely and effectively. Activities in this lesson based on information found in The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and Birding Basics , by David Allan Sibley. Preparation A bird in flight is perhaps nature at its most beautiful and sublime. Such gorgeous aerial poetry belies the complex areodynamics that ALL birds, big and small, do withou Duration: 60 Minutes.