Geese Fly Over Himalayas Using Rollercoaster Strategy

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Bar-headed geese Anser indicus on Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, Mongolia / Bruce Moffat Photography

The Himalayan Mountains rise several thousand meters above sea level, yet somehow bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) migrate over them and the Tibetan Plateau every year. Now, researchers tracking these high-flying birds reveal that they ride those peaks and valleys like the lifts and drops of a rollercoaster. This flight pattern helps them conserve more energy than flying steadily at extreme heights—even if it means they repeatedly lose that hard-earned altitude.