Scientists believe they've figured out why so many different species of birds fly in a V formation.
Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College in London fitted data trackers to a flock of Ibises that were being trained to migrate by following a microlight.
"We were amazed," Steven Portugal of the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire, England, said to AFP.
At least 14 birds' wing beats were measured during 43 minutes of a migratory flight.
The study determined that each bird positioned itself in the proper location in relation to the other birds, and timed out its flaps in order to minimize the energy used while flying.
The results of the research were published in the journal Nature. Researchers came from Austria, Britain, and German for the experiment.
"We are the first to identify the aerodynamic interactions between individuals within a V, and to record the mechanism that birds in a V use to capture upwash (rising air)," Portugal said.
Scientists confirmed that geese, pelicans and other bird species fly in a V-shaped formation by riding on drafts created by birds in front.
A total of 180,000 wing flaps were measured during the journey, according to AFP.
"To capture that data from the flight of birds in the wild is phenomenal more than anyone could've hoped for from a live experiment," Kenny Breuer, a professor of engineering and ecology at Brown University, according to USA Today. "It's just reassuring that (the birds) are doing everything they should be doing to save energy."
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