Saturday 18 January 2014

Come Fly With Me

Look up to the sky and you might see birds flying in a 'V' shape. This pattern is thought to give the birds behind an aerodynamic advantage. Now it seems birds really do fly with a little flap from their friends.

Researchers at the UK's Royal Veterinary College put data loggers on ibises to record their position, speed and wing flaps when they migrated. The ibises position themselves within the V so that they benefit from the flow of air created by the bird in front.



YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

1 comment(s):

JoeK said...

Ahh,but they neglected to address the issue of why one"arm"of the V formation is always longer than the other?

Quite simply:
Theres more birds in the long one
:)