This disconnect helps the follower dodge the substantial downwash of air directly to the rear of a flying bird, Portugal and his colleagues report in the Jan. 16 Nature. Big birds such as ibises ...

Migrating birds fly in a V-formation to take advantage of the aerodynamic effects of flying behind another bird. Remarkably, birds take turns at the front despite no obvious benefit to the individual.

Flying like a bird at 5,000ft, the winged wonder. By MICHAEL HANLON. Last updated at 11:29 30 December 2006. Man has dreamt of flight ever since our ancestors first saw birds soaring into the sky.