flies

Flies are insects of the order Diptera, and Diptera is a large order containing an estimated 1,000,000 species including horse-flies, crane flies, hoverflies and others, although only about 125,000 species have been described.

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Flies are adapted for aerial movement with typically short and streamlined bodies. Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced mechanosensory organs, which act as high-speed sensors of rotational movement and allow dipterans to perform advanced aerobatics.

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Learn more about them in my Nature Facts for Kids series.

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