Hundreds of thousands of birds with migratory habits fill the airways, all moving to warmer and more suitable climates and habitats to breed. When migration is complete, they will take to the skies and migrate back to their summer homes. It’s quite a sight to look overhead as many birds fly toward their intended destinations. But haven’t you ever wondered how long a bird can remain in the sky without stopping? I know I have. Let’s investigate.
For a long, long time, ornithologists believed that birds stopped frequently. It just seemed to make sense that birds would tire and come down for a breather. But back in 2009, a set of researchers tracked the movement of a bar-tailed godwit and found that it flew non-stop from Alaska to New Zealand. That flight covered an astounding 7,400 miles and was accomplished in just 11 days. To date, that’s the record for a continuous flight for a bird.
Endurance Flyers
Wayne Butterworth, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
All species of birds fly at varying heights, speeds, and distances. Science has used technological availability to discover what birds do while in the air. Doppler radars and anemometers were employed to track birds and discovered that at maximum endurance, many birds – on average – can stay in the air for about six hours and measure about 90 miles during that time. Variable air speeds began as low as 10 mph and as high as 40 mph. Successful flight for long periods of time requires the use of mathematics to uncover what the birds do naturally in their adjustments of energy and metabolic rates.
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The common swift, however, is one of the most effectual flyers, being able to spend 10 amazing months in the air without moving to the ground. This was discovered in 2016 during a Lund University (Sweden) study. In this study, it was believed that the bird could sleep in flight during a time of gliding. More interestingly, researchers discovered that birds that remained in the air molted their feathers, effectively renewing them. Birds that landed frequently typically did not molt.
The researchers hope that understanding these current patterns with birds that can fly for extended periods of time can help us achieve a better understanding of changing climates. Climate changes, and the problems that can be introduced to birds as a result, can be met with hopeful help.
Nature has gifted some birds like the small common swift with amazing endurance and skill. With greater knowledge, we might be able to help these birds quickly adapt to changes that might otherwise take decades to adapt to on their own. It’s already amazing that birds can fly and adjust their flight to compensate for weight and other things. But some are just already extraordinary in their migratory movement.