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Which flight abilities are possible because odonates can move their wing pairs independently?
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Odonata
Male jewelwing damselfly (Calopteryx splendens).
Because odonates can move their fore and hind wing pairs independently, they are capable of a unique repertoire of aerobatic flight maneuvers. This independent control allows for three distinct modes of wing movement: beating the pairs synchronously, beating them alternately, or beating them synchronously but out of phase with each other.1
These variations in wing coordination enable odonates to perform the following flight abilities:
- Hovering
- Backward flight
- Tight-radius turns that function as virtually midair pivots1