Researchers from the University of California studied the maneuvering ability of birds using chukar partridge chicks, Eurasian pheasant-like birds.

Their research showed that even a day-old baby bird can maneuver their wings when they fall from their nest.

Robert Dudley, one of the researchers, explained that upon hatching, 25 percent of the chicks could roll in midair and land on their feet when they are dropped that is useful for aerodynamic purposes.

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The birds would pump their wings asymmetrically to flip and roll to correctly position themselves. After nine days, the chicks can coordinately flap their wings and control their body in the right position.

Dennis Evangelista, one of the researchers, said that the maneuvering abilities of chicks were developed right after hatching, even before the wings could be used to support their weight during Wing-Assisted Inclined Running (WAIR), he said.

Dudley believes that the bird's ability to maneuver themselves into the right position sprung from the idea that no one wants to be upside down.

He explained that flying abilities of birds came from the theropod dinosaurs, which were the ancestors of birds.

The bird's ancestor used WAIR, which is done by flapping ones wings while running in an inclined position, to lift and maneuver themselves.

However, Evangelista believe that maneuvering is important in all the stages of flight and was developed during the early stages in the ancestor's life.

Dudley said that rudimentary wings could have been used through running while symmetrically flapping the wings but was rather late in the development of asymmetric flapping.

He believes that their experiment can illustrate the broader range of aerodynamic capability that is available to animals with tiny wings.