Geese

Geese fly south for the winter. They fly as a group, in a V shape. This shape is called a formation. Why do they fly in formations?

As each bird flaps its wings, the wind it makes lifts the bird that follows behind. The geese gather lift from one another. This helps the geese travel faster. They work as a team.

If one of the geese falls out of the V, it will feel the pull from flying alone. It will want to come right back to the V.

The goose that is in the front of the V will drop to the back when it gets tired. Another goose takes over leading the birds. The geese behind the leader make honking noises. The noise encourages the lead birds as they fly along. The honking makes the birds keep up the speed. By honking, birds tell each other, “Good job. Keep it up!”

If a goose gets injured or sick, it falls out of the V. Two other geese from the group follow it down to the ground. They help or protect the bird. These two geese stay with the bird until it dies or is able to fly again. If the bird dies, they wait for another flock and join in their V. If the bird gets better, they all join.

People can learn a lot from geese. We can work together to get jobs done. We can take turns being the leader. When someone is having a hard time, we can help. We can let others know when they are doing a good job. If we acted like the geese, wouldn’t our world be a happy place?