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Why Do Ducks Fly In A V?
为什么野鸭呈V字飞行？
Ducks tend to fly in a V formation when they travel in groups. It's a pretty common sight if you live in an area with ducks, or live within the path of their migration pattern. But why do they do this, is there a scientific reason behind it?
野鸭成群飞的时候，爱排成V字。如果你住的地方有野鸭生活或者正好处于野鸭迁徙路线，就会经常看到它们这么飞。但这样飞行有什么科学依据吗？
There are actually a few reasons for their curious flight formations. The first is that it helps ducks and geese to conserve energy during long migrations. Excluding the individual leading the group, each bird trailing behind the other benefits from a reduction in wind resistance. The birds are deliberately tailgating each other. It's the concept of drafting, best known to those gutsy people who drive close behind semis on the freeway to stay out of the wind and boost their fuel efficiency. Race cars in NASCAR do this as well.
它们这样飞其实有多重原因。首先，这样飞可以让野鸭或者天鹅在漫漫迁徙途中保持体力。除了带头那只，剩下的鸟都尾随着前一只，这样可以减小风力阻碍。它们是故意这么飞的。那些大胆的赛车手在高速公路上也追着前一辆这么开，来加快燃料功率。全国运动汽车竞赛协会的竞技赛上选手也经常这么开。
The next time you see ducks or geese flying in a V, watch them for a bit to see if the bird out front changes positions. Whichever one is up front is working the hardest, will make a strategic switch. The leader will drop back – usually all the way back, where wind drag is lowest, and a rested duck will come to the front. While there is no single, unchanging leader for a V of birds on the move, it is the oldest, experienced individuals who are calling the navigational shots, using the sun and the stars at night to orient themselves and stay on course.
所以，下次你在看到鸟类呈V字飞行，注意观察下带头的鸟是不是经常换。如果最前面的鸟飞累了，它们会换位置。通常，最前面的鸟会顺着风力飞到最后，后面的鸟则跟上来打头阵。呈V形飞翔的鸟群，带头的鸟都会变换位置。但是，通常也是最有经验、能够利用太阳和星星判断方位的老鸟带头。
The second reason for birds to fly in formation is that this orientation 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 keeps the flock together and minimizes the possibility of losing birds along the way as the formation crosses vast distances during migration.
鸟儿呈V字飞行的另一个原因，是因为这样方便它们交流。V形可以让每只鸟都能看到对方。这样的组合可以保持鸟群完整，在漫长旅途中防止有鸟儿掉队。
译文属可可英语原创，仅供学习和交流使用，未经许可，请勿转载。
