Fly like a bird: The V formation finally explained
BBC
The mystery of the v formation may have been solved by a scientist from the royal veterinary college. Northern Bald Ibises are a bird that was wiped out from hunting in Europe. A team of researchers from Austria has worked on retraining the birds on a migration route into Europe that has been lost. They have trained the birds to migrate behind a microlight aircraft. Fitting tiny data loggers researchers were able to tell that the birds changed their position to get in the up wash of air from the wing tip of the bird in front and when they flapped their wings. This saves the birds following energy by giving them a bit of a lift, and a free ride.
I think this is really cool how the birds know where to be to be efficient. I also think that it is cool how the researchers are training the birds to migrate behind microlight aircraft. I think that this is another important step into the future for robotics and aircraft with more of a natural flight. How the data loggers know when the Ibises flap their wings and their position in the flock is incredible, it shows us that technology is helping us understand problems otherwise would have taken us a long time to figure out.
