13 Long flight feathers for short gliding flights Male black grouse wing Flying for protection Pheasants and grouse spend most of their time on the ground. On sensing danger, they crouch down, then bring their opened wings sharply downwards to burst into the air. Female black grouse Female black grouse wing Green colouring for camouflage Green woodpecker wing Woodpecker flight Woodpeckers climb and dive much more steeply than most other birds. Pheasants in flight Pheasant wing Folded flight feathers Camouflaged inner feathers conceal bird on ground. Vertical take-off If alarmed, pheasants take off almost vertically on their broad wings. Up-and-down flight A green wood pecker spends a lot of time on the ground and flies very short distances. It has shorter, rounded wings. Green woodpecker Pheasant flight Rapid wing beats are followed by a long glide.