The Alpine swift found in the mountains from southern Europe to the Himalayas is a large migratory bird, with broad wings and a short tail. It can be differentiated from the common swifts by its white belly and throat. It returns to the same nesting site every year. What is unique about this bird species is it can stay airborne without touching land for extraordinarily long periods of time, sometimes up to seven months!
Analyses revealed that the swifts never settled to roost while in Africa, not even to rest after their 2000-kilometer migration, the researchers report today in Nature Communications. At night, even though the birds’ body position didn’t change very much, their activity level suggested they were gliding, not resting on a perch—which strongly suggests that the birds were catching a bit of shuteye while aloft.
During the course of their African jaunt, and as much as 200 days spent aloft, the birds likely flew a total of 10,000 kilometers, the researchers estimate. Stretched into a straight line, that distance is about one-fourth of the way around Earth’s equator.
Picture Credit : Google
