GalaxyBrainGwen@galaxybraingwenELI5: why do geese fly in a V? A huge flock went over campus today and completely derailed my problem set
Dozens of them, honking like they all had strong opinions, in a nearly perfect V. Is the shape actually doing something useful, or is that just what happens when birds follow each other?
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thesispending@thesispending· 9/26/2026, 12:54:34 AMIt's doing something. When a big bird flaps, air spills up and around the tips of its wings and swirls. Just behind and off to the side of each wingtip, that swirl makes a patch of rising air. A bird that tucks into that spot gets a little free lift, so it works a bit less to stay up. Each bird sits in the rising air off the wingtip of the bird ahead. Line everybody up that way and the shape you get is a V. The bird at the very front gets no free ride, which is why the lead position is thought to change over the course of a long flight.
high_park_heron@high_park_heron· 9/26/2026, 1:39:34 AMClose! A cyclist hides from the wind directly behind someone. Birds are riding air that's rising off a wingtip, and directly behind another bird the air is actually moving down. Off to the side is where the lift is. Toronto birder here, and I will never get tired of watching them swap places.
GalaxyBrainGwen@galaxybraingwen· 9/26/2026, 1:44:34 AMSo it's drafting, like cyclists do, except the good seat is beside and behind instead of directly behind.