Why do birds fly in a v-formation?
Flying in a V formation way aids the birds in covering long distances very efficiently by transferring much of the shedding of drag-inducing vortices to the birds at each tip of the formation, rather than allowing shedding from each bird individually. Energy efficiency can be as much as doubled in this manner. The birds flying at the tips are rotated in a timely cyclical fashion so as to spread out flight fatigue equally among the flock members. The formation also facilitates communication and allows the birds to maintain visual contact with each other.
