May be there are few lessons to be learnt. Wiki User January 07, 2010 7:55PM. When geese are flying in a V, why is it that one side is always longer than the other? share. Sort by. Sort by. Bird migration itself is a set of complex questions, yet to be resolved despite investigation for over three centuries. Why is one side of the v longer than the other when birds fly? Since geese fly in V formation to conserve energy by flying in the wake of the previous bird I believe that the longer arm of the V has less wind resistance and it therefore easier to fly in. When geese fly in V's, why is one side always longer? You can tell how close they are to their destination by how few geese are on the right side of the V. ..that was all lies, you fool. 1. it is not a mystery to know the reasons. If there is no disadvantage, then there is no natural selection to make sure that geese fly in formations with equal numbers of geese at each arm of the formation. Because the tired goose drops off of the end of the v he was on and allows the geese in front of him to pull him along or he drafts behind them until his strength is renewed, then he will take his place back where he was and one of the other geese will fall in behind him, therefore there will always be one side of the v shorter than the other. They do not fly in a V for geometrical beauty. Since aerodynamic efficiency does not depend on the shape of the V, there is no disadvantage to have one arm of the V longer than the other. When geese fly in V's, why is one side always longer? 100% Upvoted. comment. They always fly in a V formation. Answer Save. Therefore, the longer arm would naturally be on the downwind side of the 'V'. 100% Upvoted. best. share. All this flapping creates an updraft in the air currents around the bird's wingtips. You see, flying takes a lot of energy. 8 Answers. Whenever there is a lack of natural selection, natural variation can exist. Canadian geese fly in odd numbers and American geese fly in even numbers. More posts from the dadjokes community. best. So when a goose chooses an efficient place to fly it will settle behind another goose, no matter what side. If there is no disadvantage, then there is no natural selection to make sure that geese fly in formations with equal numbers of geese at each arm of the formation. 1. save hide report. There's more geese on that side. best top new controversial old q&a. The geese had just taken off and were flying in some side-by-side V-shaped groups. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up. Watch Queue Queue This video is unavailable. Favorite Answer. Bird migration itself is a set of complex questions, yet to be resolved despite investigation for over three centuries. Be the first to share what you think! What are your thoughts? Of course I've seen this behavior before, but on that particular evening, as I watched these geese leave the area, I … nurnord. Nobody knows what geese do things for. Flying in these 'wake' positions is easier than flying solo or in the lead position. Watch Queue Queue. Straight behind is not a good place. Log in or Sign up log in sign up. no comments yet. As they got farther away they gathered into smaller, tighter, individual V-shaped groups. That's how you can tell them apart. Close • Posted by 5 minutes ago. Lv 7. Relevance. There's more geese on that side. Be the first to share what you think! Many migratory and non-migratory birds fly in that familiar V pattern for good reasons.