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Why do geese fly in a V?

By: Meg Dilts

Energy conservation and visual assurance.

Why do geese fly in a V? Because it would be too hard to fly in an S! Just kidding. Scientists have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two important purposes:

First, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest.

The second benefit to the V formation is that it is easy to keep track of every bird in the group. Fighter pilots often use this formation for the same reason.


http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/geese.html



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Date Added: 2009-03-23 Views : 305

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