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THE AIR — We all know that migratory birds like geese often fly in V-formation. The lead bird does the most work. Each of the other birds position themselves a bit above and behind the flock mate in front of them, getting a lift from the reduced wind resistance.
After a while, the lead bird moves back to take a break and another bird flies to the point of the V. Working together in this way, these noble birds fly across continents without losing so much as a tail feather. It's a beautiful example of teamwork and sacrifice that has been used for thousands of years.
And then this guy came along:
That's right. This ne'er-do-well bird was eating a discarded breadstick in an Olive Garden parking lot when a diabolical idea hit him. Instead of flying behind the other birds in his flock, what if he just hopped on top of them?
While the new technique is undeniably effective, it flies in the face of eons of avian tradition. You simply can't have an effective V-formation with this guy loafing around looking for free rides from his flock mates.
It's estimated that there are as many as 430 billion birds on earth. I'm just amazed that it took so long for one of them to try this trick.
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