Should airplanes look like birds?

The modern airplane design works well, but from a fuel efficiency standpoint, could planes be designed more aerodynamically -- to lower drag and increase lift? (Credit: RJ Huyssen/NU,RSA)

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2010) — Airplanes do not look much like birds -- unless you were to imagine a really weird bird or a very strange plane -- but