Migrating birds may take advantage of V-shaped flocking to reduce the required energy for their flight. Studies have shown that the birds in different positions in V-shaped flight contend with different drag forces. Lead and follower birds may have to overcome more drag forces than the other birds in a V-shaped flock. Some observations of different kinds of flocking birds repositioning within a flock have been reported. This observation is here interpreted in an energetic context as well as its aerodynamic aspects. This paper presents the repositioning aerodynamics analysis of birds that fly in V-shaped flocks and their energy-saving consequences. This analysis demonstrates how Canada Geese can fly very far in a single day through repositioning. Extensive analysis shows that leader and tail position switching of 14 Canada Geese can improve the flight range and endurance of these migrating birds more than 44.6%. This study gives the guidelines for energy saving and optimization of flocking migrating birds through evolution.

中文翻译：

---

V型加拿大鹅群中用于能源管理目的的领导者和跟随者转换的分析研究

候鸟可能会利用V型植绒来减少其飞行所需的能量。研究表明，在V形飞行中处于不同位置的鸟类会遇到不同的阻力。与V形群中的其他鸟类相比，铅和跟随鸟类可能需要克服更大的阻力。已经报告了对不同种类的成群鸟在群内重新定位的一些观察结果。此处的观察是在充满活力的环境及其空气动力学方面进行解释的。本文介绍了在V型鸡群中飞行的鸟类的重新定位空气动力学分析及其节能效果。该分析表明加拿大鹅如何通过重新定位在一天之内飞得很远。广泛的分析表明，对14只加拿大鹅的首尾位置进行切换可以使这些迁徙鸟类的飞行距离和耐力提高44.6％以上。这项研究提供了节能和通过迁徙优化植绒迁徙鸟类的指南。