Birds I love.

Only a very few number of people know that I get stunned whenever I see a flock of birds in a V-formation. Birds flying in flocks are one of my happy thoughts. Whenever I get to see them, my world stops, and I am thinking of what are they actually doing? Are they friends? Or are they a family? But the very thought in my mind whenever I see these beautiful creatures is this:  ”Can one fly without the other?”

According to a little research that I did minutes ago (oh yes, at these times research is defined as several clicks, copy, paste, and cite the source) on why birds fly in V-formation. Here are some of the explanations given by the experts in the field of Ornithology or the study of birds.

Birds in V-formation are described as “such groups of birds will typically fly in a large “V” shape with one bird in the lead and others trailing behind in two lines” (Scott, 2005).

So, why in V? Not in K or some other letters? According to Bruce Batt, chief biologist for the conservation group Ducks Unlimited, there are two well-supported and complementary explanations for why birds fly in formation. One is to conserve energy by taking advantage of the upwash vortex fields created by the wings of the birds in front. The other is to facilitate orientation and communication among the birds (Batt, 2007).

Yes. Birds, like people, communicate with each other. And through the V-formation, it allows the birds to communicate more easily. The V-formation provides the birds with good visual contact of each other to keep the flock together. This communication minimizes the possibility of losing birds along the way as the formation crosses vast distances during migration.

However, miracle as it may seem to see birds fly in V-form and even though the V formation benefits all of the birds, let us recognize the role of the bird at the tip of the V.

According to aerospaceweb.org, the bird in the lead position has to work the hardest. When this leader bird tires, it will drop out of the lead position and fall further back into one of the lines of the V. Another bird from further back will rapidly move forward to take the leading position and maintain the formation. The two birds in the furthest trailing positions also tire more rapidly than those in the middle, so these positions are also rotated frequently to spread the most fatiguing locations throughout the flock. This cyclical rearrangement gives all birds the responsibility of being the leader as well as a chance to enjoy the maximum benefits of being in the middle of the formation. This sense of teamwork comes naturally since even the youngest members of the flock rapidly realize that it takes less work to fly in a V formation than it does to fly alone.

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Birds, like people, get tired too. And sometimes, they can only depend on someone to be able to survive. Life indeed is give and take. Although oftentimes, we may think were giving too much, were sacrificing more that what is expected from us, and we will only realize it when we feel that we are already tired. 

But we must also realize that as we become the person to be depended upon, we become responsible for their lives. So when asked by the question, “can one live without the other?”, the answer depends on the strength of each other’s faith. If one gives up, the other dies. It does not follow that the other will die too, if the other one gives up. And so, just as these birds flying in V-formation, let’s hold on. Just hold on. We’ll all get there.

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For now, let’s look at the sky. Someday we’ll fly along with the birds I love.

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