Warning:Silly response ahead!
Well, I can't speak for birds but I find undulating is just more fun!

Bellydancing Rahne Kirkham
Federal Way, Washington
rahne at mindspring.com
"Joy is the serious business of Heaven"
C.S.Lewis
----- Original Message -----
From: John Chandler <chandler at uniserve.com>
To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 1999 9:05 PM
Subject: Undulating vs Straight-line Flight


> Watching some House Finches last weekend, it occurred to me that many
> smaller species of bird have an undulating flight while larger birds tend
to
> fly in a straight line. Why is this?
>
> I assume undulating flight consumes less energy than flying in a straight
> line. However, this advantage must diminish with increased weight which
is
> why woodpeckers are about the largest bird to use undulating flight.
>
> How is undulating flight more efficient for a small bird?
>
> Hmmmmmmm.
>
> John.
>
> Your Windows, MS Office, ACT! and Internet training specialist
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> Phone (604) 839-8777
>
>
>