why do birds fly in a group?
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Flocking also enables birds to fly further using less energy because when the strong leader bird flaps its wings it creates uplift for the birds behind – each bird (except the leader) is flying in the up-wash from the wing of the bird in front. This enables the flock to use less energy and reduces fatigue.
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If a bird is just gliding (or "soaring"), that is, not flapping its wings, it flies in pretty much the same way that an airplane flies. The wings push air down, so by Newton's third law the air must push them up. ... Birds use strong muscles in their breasts to flap their wings.
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Ravens often travel in pairs, while crows are seen in larger groups. Also, watch the bird's tail as it flies overhead. The crow's tail feathers are basically the same length, so when the bird spreads its tail, it opens like a fan.
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So the shape of the wing and the ability to move it through the air are the two things needed for bird and plane flight. Birds use their strong breast muscles to flap their wings and give them the thrust to move through the air and fly. In a way, birds use a swimming motion to get the lift needed to fly.
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Bird bodies are made to fly. They have light bones, strong legs, and specially shaped wings. Flying helps birds get away from animals that want to eat them, and makes them better hunters, too. Flying also helps them travel from cold places to warm places, called migration (my-GRAY-shun).
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Although some crows are solitary, they come together in groups for feeding, roosting, and social interaction. For instance, when one dies, the group will surround the deceased, circling, and cawing to both mourn the dead and find out what killed their feathered friend.
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There are several benefits to flying as a flock. It improves a bird's chance of survival against predators because a large group of birds is stronger and better protected and with many eyes the flock is far more likely to spot a would-be marauder. ... This enables the flock to use less energy and reduces fatigue.
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Robins often associate in flocks, and sometimes these are huge. ... In fall and winter, they switch to berries and other fruits and live in sociable flocks. Robins migrate and spend the winter in flocks to make it easier to spot predators.
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Others prefer to set off together in large flocks, for example the starlings and swallows. Geese, pelicans, storks and other larger migratory birds fly in a straight line, a chain, or the so-called V-Formation, also called wedge-formation. The reason for this is simple: aerodynamics. The birds want to save energy.
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Why Do Birds Sing in the Morning? ... Birds can sing at any time of day, but during the dawn chorus their songs are often louder, livelier, and more frequent. It's mostly made up of male birds, attempting to attract mates and warn other males away from their territories.
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His work showed that bird in flocks don't just follow a leader, or their neighbors. Instead, they anticipate sudden changes in the flock's direction of motion. And he said, once a change in direction begins in the flock, it then “spreads through the flock in a wave.”
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A larger group of birds boasts a much better chance of spotting a predator, or other potential threat, than a single bird has. ... Staying in a flock presents a predator with more possible targets too, which lowers the danger for any single bird.
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Birds, including starlings, mostly fly in flocks as a defence against birds of prey. The more individuals in a flock, the less risk for each bird of being the unlucky one who gets taken out by a hawk or another raptor. But starling flocks also fly in such formations when no predators are around, according to Dale.
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Migratory birds have several physical adaptations that allow them to safely migrate long distances. ... Many birds fly at higher altitudes during migration than they would for shorter flights, for example. Wind patterns higher up help push them along and the cooler air keeps their bodies from overheating due to exertion.
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To do this, birds use wings with light, hollow bones and feathers on them. ... Birds can move by flapping their wings, or they can stay in the same place. This is called hovering, with rapid wing beats, as with the kestrel. Birds that soar use very little energy for it: they use columns of rising hot air to lift them.
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Did you know that gulls only fly in 'V' formation during still conditions? ... However, during windy conditions this breaks down and gulls flying to their night time roosts in loose flocks with no easily determined formation.
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Geese honk when they fly as a way of keeping the flock together. ... Researchers think that the honking sound geese make as they fly is used to help maintain the integrity of the flock, and to co-ordinate position shifts with the V-formation in which they fly.