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Sky Teamwork: Why do birds fly in V formation?

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 04:56:00 +0000

Bar headed goose (Anser indicus) in a V formation.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri

The V-formation we have all seen growing up is commonly seen in migratory birds like cranes, pelicans, and ducks. It consists of a bird leader up front and the others trailing behind. Each one keeps a precise position relative to the one ahead of them.

Now, let’s look at some reasons behind this synchronisation. Firstly, it helps to consume energy during long migration journeys. This is what we call taking advantage of aerodynamic drafting. In other words, each bird catches the updraft (upward flow of air caused by the movement of the wings) from the wingtips of the bird ahead. This helps to create more lift, crucial for flight. It also offers more efficiency as it minimises air resistance (or drag). It also helps the flock to co-ordinate better as they can see each other better, and provides a view to spot predators.

In the course of the formation, the leader of the flock also changes rather frequently, often within minutes or even during a single flight. Leading a flock is usually a situational role based on energy, skill, and risk; and not a fixed title. And when the leader gets tired, they give their position to another bird.

Of course, not all birds fly in a V. Smaller birds or those that fly short distances fly in clusters. The formation is usually done by long birds with big wings.

Behind the flight

Let’s look more in detail at how this V formation works. When a bird flaps its wings, it creates spirals of air. These spirals produce updraft just behind and slightly to the side of the bird. This helps in lifting the bird behind them. Birds have to continuously adjust their wingbeats (set of motions of a wing) to stay in sync.

A flock of wild geese fly in South Korea’s southwestern county of Seosan on October 29, 2008.
| Photo Credit:
AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN

Instinct or learning?

Is it instinctive or learned? The answer: both! Birds don’t pick up on this skill through explicit training, but through a unique mix of instincts, and finding those aerodynamic sweet spots, and teamwork.

Migratory birds in V Formation, travel over long distances
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images/Mbolina

Flying in a V formation is nature’s greatest gift to birdkind. This is how they learn to share workload, take turns, and use physics of air currents — thereby turning it into a lesson on teamwork and efficiency.

Published – January 14, 2026 10:26 am IST

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French Authorities Confirm 8 Migrants Died In Channel Crossing Attempt

admin — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 08:40:43 +0000

More than 22,000 migrants have arrived in England by crossing the Channel in 2024 (file).

Lille, France:

Eight migrants died early Sunday when their overcrowded vessel capsized while trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French authorities said, less than two weeks after the deadliest such disaster this year.

The French and British governments have sought for years to stop the flow of migrants, who pay smugglers thousands of euros per head for the passage to England from France aboard small boats.

A police source told AFP the accident occurred shortly after the boat embarked.

Regional prefect Jacques Billant is set to hold a news conference at 10:00 am (0800 GMT), his office said.

Maritime authorities said Saturday that numerous attempts by migrants to make the perilous crossing in small boats have been attempted in recent days, with 200 people rescued in 24 hours over Friday and Saturday alone.

At least 12 migrants, mostly from Eritrea, died off the northern French coast when their boat carrying dozens of people capsized this month.

It was the deadliest such disaster this year, and brought to 37 the number of migrant deaths in the Channel, up from 12 in 2023.

More than 22,000 migrants have arrived in England by crossing the Channel since the beginning of this year, according to British officials.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron pledged this summer to strengthen “cooperation” in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.

The Channel crossings often prove perilous, and in November 2021, 27 migrants died when their boat capsized in the deadliest single such disaster to date.

French authorities seek to stop migrants taking to the water but do not intervene once they are afloat except for rescue purposes, citing safety concerns.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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A record 8,500 migrants died in 2023, says UN

admin — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:18:24 +0000

The UN’s International Organisation for Migration said the biggest increase in deaths was on the Mediterranean Sea. File
| Photo Credit: AP

A total of 8,565 migrants died on land and sea routes worldwide last year, the U.N. migration agency said March 6, a record high since it began tallying deaths a decade ago.

The International Organisation for Migration said the biggest increase in deaths last year was on the treacherous Mediterranean Sea crossing, to 3,129 from 2,411 in 2022. However, that was well below the record 5,136 deaths recorded in the Mediterranean in 2016 as huge numbers of Syrians, Afghans and others fled conflicts toward Europe.

IOM said the total number of deaths among migrants in 2023 was nearly 20% more than in 2022. It said most of the deaths last year, about 3,700, came from drowning.

The Geneva-based migration agency cautioned that the figures likely underestimate the real toll, and factors such as improved data collection methods play a part in its calculations.

“Every single one of them is a terrible human tragedy that reverberates through families and communities for years to come,” IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels said in a statement.

Rise in deaths in Asia, Africa

Overall, the biggest jump in deaths in recent years was in Asia, where more than 2,000 migrants died compared to an annual average of under 1,000 since 2014. IOM said 2,138 migrants died in Asia last year, 68 more than in 2022.

The rise in Asia last year was primarily because of increased deaths among Afghans fleeing to places like neighbouring Iran and among Rohingya refugees on maritime routes, IOM spokesperson Jorge Galindo said in an email.

IOM said a record number of deaths also occurred in Africa last year — 1,866 — mostly in the Sahara Desert and along the sea route to the Canary Islands.

The agency cited difficulties in data collection in remote areas, such as in the dangerous “Darien Gap” in Panama, where many migrants pass from South America on their way north.

IOM’s “Missing Migrants” project, which tallies the figures, was set up in 2014 after a surge in deaths in the Mediterranean and an influx of migrants on the Italian island of Lampedusa off Tunisia.

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