Why don’t flies fly in a straight line?

Asked by: Kenneth Bailey, Belfast

To escape from predators, flies have evolved a highly aerobatic flying style. Instead of turning by flapping harder with one wing than the other, they roll their body to one side and pull up, like a fighter pilot in a high-G turn. Random zig-zags like this make it much harder for birds to get a ‘missile lock’ on them.

Read more:

• How do butterflies manage to fly in the wind?
• Why are flies attracted to bad smells?

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