Page 73 - The Miracle of Migration in Animals

HARUN YAHYA

As in human bicy-
cle races, a bird that
finds itself at the rear
must struggle continu-
ously against a down-
ward current. In flying,

this is the equivalent of
climbing a hill. Provided
that their wings do not
touch, it is more advan-
tageous for a bird to fly
by positioning itself
right next to another
bird. This way, the bird
can benefit from the
maximum lift—but only
with one wing. For this
A similar effect to the air currents behind a
reason it has to keep the
bird’s wings in flight has been created in
wing in line, close to the
the laboratory (above). Birds migrating in a
V formation are not affected by these air wing of the other bird.
currents.
Each of the birds
flies in the upwash of its
neighbors. This is an effect similar to flying in an upcurrent, using
less lifting power.
If this is so, then why do birds fly in a V formation, rather than
side by side line abreast?
The answer lies in the sacrifice any migrating bird makes for the
sake of the others. Flying in a line abreast formation would not ensure
an equal energy saving for each bird, since the birds in the center of
the line would have twice the advantage of the birds at the tips, since
they would be flying in an upwash field created by the birds on both

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