The dark, smudgy streaks on Xavi Bou's photographs suggest the jerky ink tracks created by a malfunctioning printer, but they actually record the various patterns birds trace while flying in flocks.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Most bird species don’t fly above a few thousand feet in ...

“Awkward” would probably be the most benevolent word I could use to describe the explosive launch into flight of the California quail. Certainly, the words graceful or athletic do not come to mind. A ...