Article: The hawk has landed: Braking mid-air to prioritize safety over energy or speed -
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220630142218.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=emailPaper: Optimization of avian perching manoeuvres -
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04861-4![](https://media.springernature.com/lw685/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41586-022-04861-4/MediaObjects/41586_2022_4861_Fig1_HTML.png?as=webp)
Harris’ hawks were flown between perches in a purpose-built motion capture studio, wearing a template of retroreflective markers close to the centre of mass (inset; tail markers also shown). Swooping was initiated by a take-off jump, followed by a powered dive (yellow line). This transitioned at its lowest point (black dot) into an unpowered climb (blue line), finishing with a rapid pitch-up manoeuvre that ended with the body almost vertical and with the wings outstretched as the feet contacted the perch.