At what height the birds fly. How do birds fly? The height of their flight. Wind tunnel tests

Largest wingspan... marked at wandering albatross (Diomedea exulas). On September 18, 1965, a very old male with a wingspan of 3.63 m was caught in the Tasman Sea by the crew of the US Navy Antarctic research vessel Eltanin.

Flight speed
French researchers used a radio beacon to determine the range and speed of the flight albatross (Diomedea). It turned out that in 33 days the bird covered a distance of 15,200 km. The average flight speed was 56.1 km per hour, and the maximum - 81.2 km per hour.

Longest-winged birds

1. Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) - 363 cm
2. Tristan albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) - 350
3. Amsterdam albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis) - 340
4. Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) - 320
5. African marabou (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) - 320
6. Curly Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) - 320
7. Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) - 320
8. Kumay (Gyps himalayensis) - 310
9. Pink Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) - 310
10. Black vulture (Aegypius monachus) - 310
11. Bearded Man (Gypaetus barbatus) - 308
12. Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) - 305
13. American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) - 300
14. Antipodes albatross (Diomedea antipodensis) - 300
15. African eared vulture (Torgos tracheliotus) - 300
16. Indian marabou (Leptoptilus dubius) - 300 ???
17. Trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) - 300
18. California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) - 295
19. Pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) - 290
20. Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) - 280
21.Brazilian Jabiru mycteria - 280
22. Indian Crane (Grus antigone) - 280
23. Measles bustard (Ardeotis kori) - 275
24. Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) - 275
25. Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) - 275
26. Saddled Yabiru (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) - 275

Flying white goose

Male albatross can fly around the globe

... covering a distance of 14 thousand miles in just 46 days. On Bird Island in the state of South Georgia, where the gray-headed albatross breeds, several birds were caught, to the legs of which special devices - geolocators - were attached to their legs. With their help, scientists have established that from the coast of South Georgia the birds went to the southeast of the Indian Ocean, where they are fishing for tuna. More than half of the individuals then took an interesting trip around the world - the fastest ones made it in just 46 days. Scientists were surprised to find that albatrosses fly so far and remain on the high seas for so long. 12 birds flew around the world, and three albatrosses - twice.

Pectoral muscles

The pectoral muscles, which serve to lower the wings, are the largest in flying birds. So, their weight is pigeon (Columba) makes up 20% of the total weight of the bird. Musculature is essential in locomotion, both in the air and on land. Great development reach the muscles of the chest, raising and lowering the wing. In birds that have lost the ability to fly, the muscles of the hind limbs are well developed (ostriches, chickens, geese).

Upon arrival on the high seas

... different birds sailors determine the distance to the coast. For example, guillemots (Cepphus) and lyuriki (Plotus) are no more than 15 miles from the coast, common tern (Sterna hirundo) - 20 miles brown fulmar (Fulmarus)- by 30 miles, and Arctic tern can be found 100 miles offshore. By the way, it is the Arctic tern that makes the longest migrations (of all nomadic animals), moving from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back.

Bird flight altitude

... is different. So, mallard duck collided with a plane over Nevada at an altitude of 6,900 m, and in September 1973 g. african vulture collided with a civilian plane over the African Republic of Côte d'Ivoire at an altitude of 12,150 meters. November 29, 1973 over Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, vulture (Gyps ruepellii) collided with a passenger plane at an altitude of 11,277 m. The feathers left over from the bird were enough for the American Museum of Natural History to be able to firmly identify the species of the bird.

December 9, 1967 about 30 whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) were seen at an altitude of slightly over 8,230 m. They flew from Iceland for the winter to Loch Foyle, on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The aircraft pilot spotted them over the Outer Hebrides and their altitude was confirmed by radar.

Ability to stay in the air for a long time

Black Swift (Apus apus) can stay in the air for 2-4 years. During all this time, he sleeps, drinks, eats and even mates on the fly. A young swift winged fly probably 500,000 km before landing for the first time.

Fastest flyer

Observations confirm that peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is capable of reaching a maximum speed of up to 200 km / h when he throws himself like a stone down from a great height, defending his territory or hunting birds in the air.

At high altitude, at an aircraft speed of 700 km per hour, a bird the size of a goose strikes three times harder on collision than a projectile from a 30 mm cannon.

Flight speed (km / h)Peregrine falcon flies at a speed of 60 km / h, when catching prey in the "peak", it develops a speed of 270-300 km / h. Another sprinter is black swift, whose normal speed is 120-180 km / h. Other birds follow them with a significant margin: rock dove - 73 km / h, field thrush - 70 km / h, crossbill - 60 km / h, common kestrel - 60 km / h, common jackdaw - 60 km / h, black blackbird - 53 km / h, chaffinch - 50 km / h, the same speed for siskins, whistle teal, gray crane, black-headed gull, common mallard. The hooded crow reaches a speed of 43 km / h, the white stork - 41 km / h, the sparrow - 39 km / h.

The most flapping bird

Horned hummingbird (Heliactin cornuta), inhabiting the tropics of South America, flaps its wings at a frequency of 90 beats per second. The fastest flap their wings ... hummingbirds. Hummingbirds from the Trochilidae family flapped their wings in the experiment for 50 minutes.

The wings move in figure eight
When flying, birds do not flap their wings up and down. Their movement rather occurs back and forth, resembling a figure eight, if you look at the bird from the side.

Able to fly backwards
Hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards.

Longest flight

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) left its nest on the shore of a lake in Finland around August 15, 1996 and was caught on January 24, 1997 near lakes in Gippsland, PA. Victoria, Australia. She flew 25,750 km.

Main migration routes
From the European part of Russia 201 species of birds fly to winter in Africa, 14 to tropical Asia, 1 to North America. From the Asian part of Russia, 26 species go to Australia, 16 to North America, 5 to South America, 95 to Africa. Arctic tern - the only one who flies to the shores of Antarctica, while overcoming 13-15 thousand km.

Flyways
Many birds have short journeys. Mountain species descend lower until they find enough food, spruce crossbills fly to the nearest area with a good harvest of cones. However, some birds migrate great distances. Longest flight path Arctic tern: it flies annually from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back, covering at least 40,000 km in both directions.

Fly underwater

Scrapers are able to "fly" underwater.

Longest migration

… Relative to body weight in the Long Rufous Humingbird Selasphorus rufus. A 10 cm long bird flies a path from Alaska to Mexico and back - 10,000 km.

An internal magnetic compass helps birds navigate

Different breeds of birds use different methods of orientation, the researchers added. It can be the magnetic field of the Earth, and the Sun, and stars, and polarized light. Drozdov placed them in cages with a strong magnetic field directed across the Earth's magnetic field. When the blackbirds were released at night, they flew west instead of north and walked in the wrong direction for several hundred kilometers. The bird's compass is really out of order. However, a day later, the birds turned north again, recalibrating their magnetic compass. Scientists assume that the birds orientated themselves by sunset: either towards the sun, or by the orientation of the polarized light (birds can distinguish it). It turned out that some of the birds can make adjustments to the orientation system using alternative "keys".

Birds can monitor magnetic field changes

In the tissues of the beak of the carrier pigeons, the smallest particles of magnetite were found, stretched along the nerve fibers. Hence, the assumption arose that when the lines of force of the magnetic field are crossed, these particles act on the still unopened nerve receptors that transmit these signals to the brain. No one could say exactly how this interaction occurs, but many experts believed that the key to unraveling the miraculous ability of birds to find their way during thousand-kilometer flights had already been found.

Fly by following the freeways

Pigeons very often fly without being guided by the Sun, as was previously believed, but simply following familiar highways, often making large loops after the highway where it would be possible to fly in a straight line. Scientists have found that pigeons use their own navigation system, following familiar roads and turning at the right intersections. Birds seem to find it easier to fly in this pattern than to find their way home in any other way.

Pigeons use human trails

Pigeons very often they fly without being guided by the Sun, as was previously believed, but simply following familiar highways, often making large loops after the highway where one could fly in a straight line. They use their own navigation system to follow familiar roads and turn at the right intersections. It is easier for birds to fly in this pattern than to find their way home in any other way.

Homing pigeon made a transatlantic flight
A carrier pigeon named Billy made a mistake on a transatlantic flight from northern France to New York. At first, his owner expected the bird to land in England. But somewhere over the English Channel, a pigeon lost its course and flew 5.5 thousand km in the wrong direction. On the way, Billy was attacked by a hawk, the traveler was repeatedly caught in a storm - but everything ended well. According to bird watchers, this is a unique case.

First pigeon post
Pigeon mail was first used in 44, during the siege of the city of Murino, by the Roman military leader Decimus Brutus.

Lose the ability to fly

During molting, some birds lose their ability to fly. For example, ducks at the same time, they almost cannot fly for 20-35 days, swans- almost 1.5 months.

How birds prepare to fly
Before migration, the bird eats a lot, accumulating weight and storing energy in the form of subcutaneous fat. Gradually, she comes into a state of "flight anxiety". In spring, it is stimulated by lengthening daylight hours, which activates the gonads (sex glands), altering the work of the pituitary gland. In autumn, the bird reaches the same state as the length of the day decreases, which causes inhibition of gonadal function. In order for an individual ready for migration to set off on a journey, it needs a special external stimulus, for example, a change in the weather. This stimulus is provided by the movement of the warm atmospheric front in spring and cold in autumn.

Flights take place at night

During migration, most birds fly at night, when they are less threatened by winged predators, and devote the day to feeding. Both single-species and mixed flocks, family groups and single individuals travel. On the road, birds usually do not rush, spending several days, or even a week in a favorable place.

Migration rate

… Depends on the species. A flock of sandpipers can accelerate to 176 km / h. Turnstone flies 3,700 km south, making an average of 920 km per day. Flight speed measurements using radar have shown that for most small birds on windless days, it ranges from 21 to 46 km / h; Larger birds such as ducks, hawks, falcons, waders and swifts fly faster. The flight is characterized by a constant, but not maximum speed for the species. Since it takes more energy to overcome the headwind, birds tend to wait it out.

Flight range record

With simultaneous fasting belongs golden plover (Pluvialis), which, without landing, crosses the 3500 km section of the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Hawaii at an average speed of 50 km per hour.

The last kilometers of the bird fly faster
In spring, species migrate to the north, as it were, according to a schedule, from year to year reaching certain points at the same time. Extending the segments of the non-stop flight as they approach the target, they cover the last several hundred kilometers at a much higher speed.

Migration height

As shown by radar measurements, the altitude at which the flight is made varies so much that it is impossible to talk about any normal or average values. However, it is known that night migrants fly higher than those who travel during the day. Among the migratory birds recorded over Cape Cod (USA, Massachusetts) and the nearest ocean area, 90% were kept at an altitude of less than 1500 m.

Sleep on the go
Storks (Ciconia) during flights, they can periodically fall asleep on the fly for 10-15 minutes.

Are able to see a hare

Eagles have the best eyesight of all living things. They are able to see a hare from a height of 3 km.

Are flying above the clouds

Night migrants tend to fly higher in overcast conditions, as they tend to fly above the clouds, not below or through them. However, if the cloud cover reaches high heights at night, birds can fly under it too. In doing so, they are attracted by tall, illuminated buildings and lighthouses, which sometimes lead to fatal collisions. According to radar measurements, birds rarely rise above 3000 m. However, some migrants reach amazing heights. In September, birds were recorded over the southeastern part of England, flying at an elevation of approx. 6300 m. Radar tracking and observation of silhouettes crossing the disk of the moon showed that night migrants, as a rule, do not “stick” to the landscape in any way. Birds flying during the day tend to follow north-south landmarks — mountain ranges, river valleys, and long peninsulas.

Sea swallows

Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus)- one of the most avid bird travelers.She nests on the subantarctic islands, but it can be found very far from its native Antarctica - off the coast of India, Australia, South America, off Newfoundland, in the Bay of Biscay and in the Red Sea. Storms fly over the waves quickly, with sharp turns and maneuvers, resembling swifts or swallows. Therefore, in many areas, the locals call these birds sea swallows. Birds spend most of their time in the air, occasionally sitting on the water, but not diving.

Wandering birds become sedentary

On November 12, the folk calendar celebrates "Sinichkin's holiday" - the day when "winter birds" traditionally appear in the Urals: tits, goldfinches, bullfinches, jays, tap dancers and waxwings. However, bullfinches have already been spotted in Berezniki this year. According to the "Verkhnekamskoe news agency", experts note that in last years"winter birds" such as bullfinches and tits, wandering from region to region, depending on weather conditions and the availability of food resources, have become sedentary.

Petrel flew 8 million kilometers

The petrel, caught on a small island north of Wales, is arguably the oldest bird in the world. An individual of the species Puffinus puffinus was first caught and ringed by bird watchers in May 1957, when she was 4 to 6 years old. And so the bird was caught again.

Until recently, the oldest ringed bird was considered the American albatross, whose age was estimated at 50 years. But the estimated age of the petrel (52) makes it a new contender for the record.
Experts from the British Foundation for Ornithology claim that the bird has flown at least 8 million kilometers in its long life. Exactly this distance must be overcome in order to circumnavigate the globe 200 times. During migrations to winter in South America and back, the bird covered about 800 thousand kilometers, the rest of the distance is frequent flights to the sea for food and back.

They walk better than they fly

Toporok is the second largest in the island ecosystem Sea of Okhotsk and comparatively large view(650-880 g). Carrying out "commercial reconnaissance" and delivering food to the chick to the colony, the hatchets fly several tens of kilometers. They walk better than they fly, and every takeoff is an event requiring preparation for them. The most convenient for take off are rock ledges or coastal steeps, where trails have been trodden by generations of axes and from where they fall, gaining the speed necessary for flight.

Feathers

How many feathers
At the bird Erithacus rubecula(its second name robin) nearly 3,000 feathers.

Feathers grow unevenly
... from the grooves arranged in rows - feather bursae, grouped into wide stripes, pterilia, which are separated by bare skin areas, apterias. The latter are invisible, since they are covered with feathers from adjacent pterilia overlying them. Only a few birds have feathers that grow evenly throughout the body; these are usually flightless species such as penguins.

Longest feathers

... a pheasant from English. name Phoenix Fowl. The upper tail feathers grow for 6 years and reach a length of 10.6 m. This pheasant has been bred in Japan for decorative purposes since the mid-17th century. Banking rooster (Latin name Gallus gallus) is considered its ancestor.

The longest feathers among wild birds

Regarding body length, these are the tail feathers of a male bird of paradise from ang. name Ribbon-tailed Bird of Paradise (Latin name Asptrapia mayeri), which lives in the mountain rain forests of New Guinea.

Among wild birds the longest feathers in relation to body length are the tail feathers of the male striped bird of paradise from ang. name Ribbon-tailed Bird of Paradise (Latin name Asptrapia mayeri), which lives in the mountain rain forests of New Guinea.

Many or few feathers

The largest number of feathers that grows on one bird is the 25,216 feathers of the Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus. Interestingly, 80 percent of the feathers grew on the swan's head.

The smallest number of feathers is 940 of the ruby-throated hummingbird Archilochus colubris. However, if you read the number of feathers in relation to body weight, this hummingbird will leave most birds behind. Its length is only 9 cm.

Feathers of increased fluffiness

In some species, such as grouse and pheasant, a small side feather, similar in structure, departs from the lower part of their shaft. It is very fluffy and improves thermal insulation.

Color is not from nature, but from nutrition

In fact, Flamingos Phoeniconaias are not naturally pink. They get their color from food - small green algae that turn pink when they are digested.

The colored pattern helps to find a mate during the breeding season.

Usually brighter and more contrasting colors are characteristic of males who use them during mating demonstrations.

Peacock beauty secret
The beauty of feathers peacock Pavo cristatus provides a reflective coloring effect. Each peacock feather has a central stem with many teeth on each side. And each prong, in turn, is composed of layers of a two-dimensional crystalline structure made of rods of melanin linked by a protein called keratin. The number of rods and the spacing between them control the reflection of light, which produces different colors. For peacocks, these are green, golden yellow, brown and bright blue.

Down and down feathers

protects the body of chicks, and improves thermal insulation in adult birds. Threaded feathers pick up vibrations. These are thought to be external force sensors that are involved in stimulating the muscles that control the large feathers. The bristles are very similar to filamentous feathers, but stiffer. They stick out in many birds near the corners of the mouth and probably serve for touch, like the vibrissae of mammals.

Powder down,

... located in special zones - powders - under the main plumage of herons and drink or scattered over the body in pigeons, parrots and many other species. These feathers grow continuously and crumble at the top into a fine powder. It has water-repellent properties and, probably, together with the secretion of the coccygeal gland, protects the contour feathers from wetting.
Flight feathers of owls have fluffy edges, which makes the flight almost silent and allows you to approach the prey imperceptibly.

Juvenile plumage

In most birds, juvenile plumage is replaced directly by adults, but some species have two or three more intermediate variants of appearance. For example, a bald eagle only at the age of seven acquires a typical adult appearance with a purely white head and tail.

In the autumn, sometimes flocks of birds are drawn to warm regions. By them you can judge when autumn ends. Geese become such messengers, as they fly away among the last. When geese fly, returning to their homeland, they portend the onset of the warmth of spring.

Scientists, trying to establish why geese fly away for the winter, agreed that the reasons are as follows:

Lack of feed: because of the onset of cold weather, plant food is lost, which is necessary for natural survival.
Freezing of reservoirs: geese - although waterfowl spend less time in the water, compared to ducks or swans, for example. However, the constant absence of a reservoir for wild birds of this breed will be unacceptable.

In favor of these arguments, a reverse example can be cited, associated with the Nile goose, which lives in warm climates with a sufficient amount of plant food. This view does not need migration because all year round provided with everything you need.

Habitat

Even before the onset of cold weather, the birds gather in flocks and prepare for a long flight. Observing the flying flocks of goose, comparing their species, where they live in the summer and where they fly to winter, one can trace the following tendency:

Goose breed	Habitat	Wintering
Bean	Taiga and tundra of Eurasia	Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts, southeastern China and Japan, Central Asia
White	Arctic coasts, high latitudes of North America, eastern Eurasia - Chukotka, Wrangel Islands	Columbia, Canada, UK, California (USA)
Gray	Moderate climate, starting with Eurasia, ending with Lapland, the Black Sea region, the Caspian Sea region, southern Siberia	Asia, southern Europe, northern Africa
White-fronted, arctic	Tundra of Eurasia and America	India, Japan, Korea, China
Sukhonos	East Asia	East Japan, China and Korea
Beloshey	Alaska	Commander Islands, Kuriles
Lesser White-fronted Goose	Forest tundra of Russia	Azerbaijan, Greece, China, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Balkan Islands, Black Sea and Caspian coast
Mountain	Kyrgyzstan	India

Facts

Obviously, geese travel very long distances when they fly. This is confirmed by a fixed fact: a flight covering a distance of up to ten thousand kilometers.

To understand at what altitude they usually fly, you need to go back to the facts. A record height was recorded over eleven thousand meters during the flight of mountain geese through the Himalayas. Geese, when they fly, are accustomed, as a rule, to an eight-meter height, since at such a distance from the earth's surface the density of the atmosphere is less and oxygen in it is rare. Peculiarities migratory birds, just, and consist in obtaining the energy necessary for flight from the rarefied atmospheric air. The weather also affects flight altitude. It is noticed that in bad weather flocks of geese fly much lower than when it is clear.

How fast are these beautiful birds? It is known that geese usually fly with very high speed- up to eighty kilometers per hour.

These birds sometimes spend up to ninety hours without rest. For example, white geese, migrating, fly, covering a distance of about three thousand kilometers in sixty hours, that is, in a day they can cover a distance of about five hundred kilometers. It is difficult even to imagine what unique properties of the organism they should have!

Flight Limitations

Speaking about how wild geese fly, one cannot fail to mention that even this natural ability has some limitations:

Despite the fact that the birds spend most of their time on land, they also feel great in the water, but it is difficult for them to take off from its surface, since they need a small take-off run before flying.
The ability to fly is lost when it is time for feathers to moult, lasting about six weeks. From this period, on average, 20 days the geese do not fly at all and try to hide in calm, remote places. This period happens twice a year.
During the day, geese prefer to rest, the best time when they fly it is night.
Males fly less during the period when they need to guard females incubating goslings.

Domestic relatives

There are different opinions on whether or not domestic geese fly. Some people believe that this breed is specially raised and fattened so that it cannot fly at all. Others argue that it's just a lack of flight training. Both sides are partially right, since due to a change in lifestyle, the new generation gradually erases, even at the genetic level, those abilities that they do not use. Domestic geese receive more food, their body is not so volatile due to the severity of the body.

Nevertheless, domestic geese, albeit not so high and far, still fly, and can even fly away from home, as in the tale of Niels's journey with geese. Therefore, poultry farmers usually cut off feathers for pets, which are responsible for keeping the bird in the air at a certain height.

Advice: you should only trim the feathers of adult geese that have previously molted three times.

Reasonable details

Geese tend to fly in a wedge or line, depending on the breed. This is not accidental at all. The research carried out by scientists made it clear that the flapping of the wings of a goose helps its companions flying alongside to gain the desired altitude. With this method of wave turbulence and formation, the entire flock flies much faster. In human society, this approach can be compared to the fact that a team striving towards a common goal also achieves it faster and more efficiently. By the way, the aeronautical inventions of airplanes by the Wright brothers were made precisely as a result of observing how flocks of geese fly.

One of the most beautiful spectacles that can bring a person a sense of freedom and a lot of positive emotions is the flight of birds. Peering into the sky, sometimes I want to quote Chekhov: “Why don't people fly? Why don't people fly like birds? "

Millions of winged creatures soar up into the sky every day in different parts of the planet. Birds are unique and special creatures on our planet. Not only can they take off into the air and travel great distances in flight, they also possess a number of features, for example, as well. The flight altitude for each bird species is different, but in most cases the flight takes place at an altitude of 150-200 meters above the ground, but this is far from the limit. Really wondering what the altitude can be, and which bird flies the highest.

Record holders of high flights

Ninth and tenth place.

White stork. This bird is one of the most beautiful and majestic on the entire planet. Its wingspan averages 1.5 - 2 meters. Thanks to them, the stork can travel huge distances at an altitude of up to 3 thousand meters.

Black swift. This small bird flies at a tremendous speed, more than 120 kilometers per hour. However, the height of its flight is also worthy of respect, because a swift can rise up to 3 thousand meters.

Eighth place.

The eighth place rightfully belongs to the golden eagle. This predatory bird has excellent eyesight. Therefore, in order to track down its prey, the golden eagle can rise to a height of 4.5 thousand meters, and from there it is easy to see even a moving small rodent.

Seventh place.

Andean condor. This majestic bird is a symbol of many Latin American countries, and rightfully deserves it. Condor lives in the Andes and in search of food flies long distances at an altitude of up to 5 thousand meters.

Sixth place.

Plover. A small bird can fly over the water itself, almost touching it with its wings. And at the same time, it is capable of rising to a height of 6 thousand meters.

Fifth place.

The mallard is the most recognizable wild duck, not only a water lover. She may well compete for the vocation of which bird flies the highest, because during seasonal flights, the flight height of these birds reaches 7 thousand meters. At this height, they sometimes even collide with airplanes.

Fourth and third place.

Grey goose. Another representative of waterfowl is in no way inferior to its rival, because he is able to rise 8 thousand meters above the ground. Besides, gray geese very brave birds who are not afraid to fight back a predator if he threatens their offspring.

Swan. This bird is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful of all birds known to us. This "aristocrat" has repeatedly confirmed his ability to fly at an altitude of over 8 thousand meters.

Second place.

The honorable second place in the ranking of the most high-flying birds is occupied by the mountain goose. Despite the fact that this bird cannot cover long distances, the height of its flight is truly amazing. The mountain goose is able to fly the most high mountain on the planet Everest and climb 10 thousand meters!

First place.

Rüppel's neck. The second name of the bird is the African vulture, and it is the undisputed winner in the category "which bird flies above all"! The highest recorded flight of the record holder is 12,150 meters! Unfortunately, because of such high flights of vultures, planes are very often shot down, apparently this is their price for victory.

Scientists still cannot answer how birds at such an altitude manage to cope with low temperatures and thin air. It is difficult to imagine that which bird flies above everyone else, not scientists, but aircraft pilots were the first to find out. This really commands respect for the winged angels!

Logging into Google, entering "Novosibirsk", you can see one of the proposed query options "Novosibirsk from a bird's eye view." But what does it mean? Let's try to figure out which ones birds are coming speech.

Tits, sparrows and other small city dwellers

These are common city dwellers, they regularly turn under our feet in search of food, visit our feeders with pleasure, eat lilacs, mountain ash and other shrubs within the city plantings. The city has already become a home for them, it is not only a source of food, but also a source of nesting. In the attics of houses, everything is regularly populated with pigeons, they are warm and well there. Nests are often not built from natural materials, and from small debris, threads, polyethylene, construction waste, they are insulated with cotton wool and glass wool sticking out of insulated windows or broken cladding of houses. These birds, as well as other guests (wagtails, bullfinches, waxwings, nuthatches, etc.), which can be found in an urban environment, do not live at low altitudes - rising up to 10-16 floors (up to 50 meters). Above they simply no longer make sense to take off, there is no food, no nests.

Tits at the feeder

Doves, crows, swallows and kites

Also frequent city dwellers. If we see pigeons under our feet all the time, then the crows are already predominantly in the trees, and the kites only in the sky. Birds on a larger scale are able to fly over greater distances, and to make it easier for them to fly, they soar higher. Here already it comes about an altitude of 70-100 meters and above. For comparison, the tallest building in Novosibirsk - Kommunisticheskaya 50 (Batman) has a height of 87.9 meters.

Kite soaring in the sky

The highest flying birds

There are birds that fly even higher! In everyday life, they rise to heights of 1000-1500 meters, and even higher for long flights. They look completely different - they are large, they have a large wingspan, all this allows them to accumulate a lot of energy, fly far, high and for a long time.

The white stork rises to a height of 2-3 thousand meters.
Black swifts are the record holders among birds for the duration of their stay in the air (young swifts, having taken off, land only after 2-3 years), the second in flight speed (more than 120 km / h) and one of the highest flying birds in the world (they can circle even in sleep at an altitude of about 3 thousand meters above the ground).
The golden eagle is a bird of prey, circling at an altitude of 4500 meters, and with its keen eyesight can spot its prey and catch it.
Mallard ducks are well-known and found even within the city of ducks. During flights they fly very high. There is a known case when a mallard collided with an aircraft at an altitude of 6900 meters.
Migrating gray geese rise to a height of 8000 meters.
The most record holders are vultures, the maximum height at which they were recorded 12,150 meters, colliding with an aircraft.

Vulture

Civil aircraft fly at an altitude of 9-11 thousand km. During the flight, everyone who flew, looked, or at least looked through the window, it is very difficult to see something below. The city is seen beautiful only during takeoff and landing, when the plane gradually gains altitude or decreases it.
So what kind of birds are people referring to when they enter a query on Google? What height are they talking about? :)

Every day, in different parts of our planet, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of birds rise into the sky. The wings of these creatures allow them not only to overcome great distances, but also to climb up to great heights. Their unique abilities in navigation still amaze many scientists, and sometimes remain the same mystery to them.

We are already accustomed to watching birds soaring high in the sky. But how high can they rise into the sky, and what kind of birds rise above the rest of the birds? In most cases, they fly at an altitude of about 150 meters, but during their annual migrations, some representatives are able to rise to a height of up to 3 thousand meters. But as it turned out, this is not the limit ...

White stork

White stork (lat. Ciconia ciconia) Is one of the most beautiful and graceful birds on the planet. This long-necked and long-legged representative of the feathered world, during long-distance flights to wintering grounds, overcomes enormous distances at an altitude of 2 to 3 thousand meters. I would like to note right away that the wingspan of the white stork is 150-200 cm.

Andean condor

(lat. Vultur gryphus) Is one of the largest flying birds of prey in the Western Hemisphere. In addition, the Andean condor is a national symbol of such Latin American states as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, playing crucial role in the culture of all these countries. This unique bird, living in more than harsh places in the Andes, flies several kilometers every day in search of food, rising to a height of about 3-5 thousand meters.

Black swift

Black swifts (lat. Apus apus) - this small bird is also called "mad swift" and this is not surprising, since the black swift is considered the record holder among birds for the duration of stay in the air and the second for the speed of flight (more than 120 km / h). In addition, the black swift is one of the highest flying birds. It rises up to 3000 meters in height.

Golden eagle

Golden eagle (lat. Aquila chrysaetos) Is another large and most famous bird of prey, with the ability to climb to great heights. The wingspan of a golden eagle can reach two meters. This predator has excellent eyesight, so it is not difficult for it to rise to a height of 4500 meters above the ground and look out for its prey from there.

Plovers

Plovers (lat. Pluvialis) Is a small but cute bird from the plover family (lat. Charadriidae). It can fly both at a completely low distance (almost touching the surface of the water) and at an altitude of more than 6 thousand meters. Representatives of this family are well known on the Wadden coasts (Wadden Sea).

Mallard

Mallard (lat. Anas platyrhynchos) Is a bird belonging to the duck family (Latin Anatidae) and the most recognizable and widespread wild duck. However, few people know that this waterfowl is also an excellent flyer. During their annual flights to wintering grounds, these birds rise to a height of 6900 meters. There were times when ducks at such a height collided with a flying plane.

Gray geese

Gray geese (lat. Anser anser) - a representative of the waterfowl. These geese settle along the shores of lakes, bolt, ponds and other bodies of water. They are very smart, strong and careful birds. They can easily fight back even a predator, especially if it threatens their offspring. During migrations, gray geese, gathered in flocks, fly in a wedge, scattered or in a line. During such a flight, birds rise to a height of 8 thousand meters.

Whooper swan

Whooper swan (lat. Cygnus cygnus) Is a large (from 7 to 10 kg) waterfowl. In December 1967, a small flock of swans was seen flying 8,230 meters over Ireland. The height of the birds' flight was recorded by radars. It is worth noting that this was not the only recorded flight of screamer swans, and their ability to fly at an altitude of more than 8 thousand meters has been confirmed more than once.

Mountain goose

Mountain goose (lat. Eulabeia indica) Is a waterfowl nesting in the mountains of Central Asia (at an altitude of 1000 to 5000 m). According to scientists, this bird is able to fly over the Himalayas in just 8 hours, rising to a height of 10175 (!) Meters. At the same time, they are unable to travel very long distances.

Rüppel's vulture, or African vulture

Rüppel's vulture, or African vulture (lat. Gyps rueppellii) - the most, the highest flying birds of the planet. According to scientists, it is Rüppel's vultures that most often collide with flying planes. The highest recorded altitudes for this bar are 11277 meters and 12,150 meters. The African vulture lives in the northern and eastern parts of the African continent.

Such flights are truly delightful. But how birds flying at such heights manage to cope with thin air, solar radiation and low temperatures is still unknown.