Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Bird flight

Fly with a little flap from your friends

Nature volume 505, pages 295–296 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

In-air measurements of northern bald ibises flying in a V formation show that the birds conform to predictions for saving energy by regulating their relative body position and synchronizing their flapping motion. See Letter p.399

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Spatial synchrony.

References

  1. Ning, S. A. Aircraft Drag Reduction Through Extended Formation Flight. PhD thesis, Stanford Univ. (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Vachon, M. J., Ray, R., Walsh, K. & Ennix, K. in AIAA Atmos. Flight Mech. Conf. Exhib. Abstr. 2002-4491 (Am. Inst. Aeron. Astronautics, 2002); http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2002-4491

    Google Scholar 

  3. Willis, D. J., Peraire, J. & Breuer, K. S. 25th AIAA Appl. Aerodynam. Conf. Abstr. 2007-4182 (2007); http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2007-4182

    Google Scholar 

  4. Portugal, S. J. et al. Nature 505, 399–402 (2014).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lissaman, P. B. S. & Lundry, J. L. J. Aircr. 5, 17–21 (1968).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Hummel, D. J. Theor. Biol. 104, 321–347 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Badgerow, J. & Hainsworth, F. J. Theor. Biol. 93, 41–52 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Maeng, J.-S., Park, J.-H., Jang, S.-M. & Han, S.-Y. J. Theor. Biol. 320, 76–85 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Weimerskirch, H., Martin, J., Clerquin, Y., Alexandre, P. & Jiraskova, S. Nature 413, 697–698 (2001).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florian T. Muijres and Michael H. Dickinson are in the Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800, USA.,

    Florian T. Muijres & Michael H. Dickinson

Authors
  1. Florian T. Muijres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael H. Dickinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Florian T. Muijres.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Muijres, F., Dickinson, M. Fly with a little flap from your friends. Nature 505, 295–296 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/505295a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/505295a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing