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How high do birds fly? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Doug
- Start date
Edward
Umimmak
I was very surprised to learn not long ago that Whooper Swans were tracked flying from Ireland to Iceland at a height of about 15 metres. I had assumed that they flew much higher. I also know birders in Iceland who have been at sea and seen Wheatears and White Wagtails migrating to Iceland flying just above the waves. Don't know if this is typical.
I think the height record is held by a Rüppell's Griffon Vulture which ended up in a jet engine somewhere over West Africa at about 11,000 metres. Check the Guinness book for the exact figures.
E
I think the height record is held by a Rüppell's Griffon Vulture which ended up in a jet engine somewhere over West Africa at about 11,000 metres. Check the Guinness book for the exact figures.
E
Michael Frankis
conehead
As well as the Rüppell's Vulture at 11,000m (36,000'), there's also a record of a goose colliding with a jumbo jet at 10,700m (35,000') over the US east coast, and a flock of 30 swans (presumed Whoopers) at 8,200m (27,000') between Iceland and Ireland.
Seems the goose and the swans were using northerly jetstream winds to speed up their migration - the swans case was studied carefully, discovering that they were using the 110mph northerly jetstream winds in the lower stratosphere to cut their journey time form Iceland to Ireland, from over 24 hours, to just 7 hours. The conditions at that altitude are severe, to say the least: -50°C, and only 40% of sea level atmospheric pressure. Take a person to that altitude straight from sea level, and they'd be dead of anoxia within a few minutes.
Given those condition, I don't like to think what it was like at the altitudes the vulture and goose were at, probably less than a third of sea level pressure. The goose was presumably also on migration, but what the vulture was doing that high, I can't think. That high up (nearly 7 miles), it I doubt it would even be able to see a dead elephant!
As for small birds, flocks of migrating passerines have been radar-tracked as high as 7,000m (23,000'), though that is exceptional, usually they fly much lower. Still high enough to kill a man who hasn't had prolonged high altitude fitness training, yet these birds can do it by going up straight from sea level.
Michael
Seems the goose and the swans were using northerly jetstream winds to speed up their migration - the swans case was studied carefully, discovering that they were using the 110mph northerly jetstream winds in the lower stratosphere to cut their journey time form Iceland to Ireland, from over 24 hours, to just 7 hours. The conditions at that altitude are severe, to say the least: -50°C, and only 40% of sea level atmospheric pressure. Take a person to that altitude straight from sea level, and they'd be dead of anoxia within a few minutes.
Given those condition, I don't like to think what it was like at the altitudes the vulture and goose were at, probably less than a third of sea level pressure. The goose was presumably also on migration, but what the vulture was doing that high, I can't think. That high up (nearly 7 miles), it I doubt it would even be able to see a dead elephant!
As for small birds, flocks of migrating passerines have been radar-tracked as high as 7,000m (23,000'), though that is exceptional, usually they fly much lower. Still high enough to kill a man who hasn't had prolonged high altitude fitness training, yet these birds can do it by going up straight from sea level.
Michael
Dave B Smith
Well-known member
Doug,
The Feb 2003 issue of Birder's World has a good article on this subject by Paul Kerlinger.
In brief shore birds such as Whimbrels, Plovers, Red Knots and even small peeps migrate at 14,000 feet on long flights however on shorter flights may only be flying at 100 feet.
Most songbirds migrate between altitudes of 300 to 2,000 feet.
Sea ducks and loons mostly migrate within 100 feet of the water. Other sea birds like the Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Pelicans within a few feet of the waves.
The Feb 2003 issue of Birder's World has a good article on this subject by Paul Kerlinger.
In brief shore birds such as Whimbrels, Plovers, Red Knots and even small peeps migrate at 14,000 feet on long flights however on shorter flights may only be flying at 100 feet.
Most songbirds migrate between altitudes of 300 to 2,000 feet.
Sea ducks and loons mostly migrate within 100 feet of the water. Other sea birds like the Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Pelicans within a few feet of the waves.
