V-formation flight

[Syd Curtis <>]

    I gather that there is some energy-saving advantage for birds by flying
in a V-formation.  There is an Egret roost in the City Botanic Gardens here
in Brisbane.  Mostly cattle egrets now, I think.  Their fly-paths down river
to Moreton Bay commonly take them over Hawthorne (where I live).

Was intrigued on a recent occasion to note three birds flying in a V back
towards the Gardens, and one was noticeably larger than the other two.
Fortunately they passed overhead close enough for me to see that the leading
bird and the one on the left were egrets; the third was a white ibis.

Are mixed species formations unusual, or is it just that I haven't noticed
them before?

Syd

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