Why do birds have different flight speeds? Bird flight altitude. The longest feathers
Conquerors of the air
Speed, range, flight altitude of birds
Regarding the flight speed of birds, researchers have different opinions. It is greatly influenced by atmospheric phenomena, so when moving long distances, birds either fly faster, sometimes slower, or take long breaks to rest.
Having released a bird in some place, it is very difficult to say when it will fly to its “destination”, because it may not fly for the entire duration of its absence. Speed calculated by simply dividing the distance by the bird's flight time is often an underestimate. At especially “critical” moments - when chasing prey or escaping from danger - birds can develop very high speeds, but, of course, they cannot withstand them for long. Large falcons during bets - chasing birds in the air - reach speeds of 280-360 km/h. The usual, “everyday” speeds of average birds are much less - 50-90 km/h.
Everything said above concerns flapping flight. The speed of gliding flight is also difficult to measure. It is believed that the hobby glides at a speed of 150 km/h, the bearded vulture - 140, and the vulture - even 250 km/h.
The range of non-stop flights of birds has been discussed for a long time. Like speed, it is very difficult to measure. The falcon, released near Paris, was discovered a day later on the island of Malta, 1,400 km away. Whether he was delayed on the way or was flying all the time is unknown. In general, birds stop along the way quite often, and their non-stop flights are short. This cannot be said about flying over water barriers, where birds have nowhere to sit. The record for non-stop flight distance belongs to waders - brown-winged plovers, which annually fly 3000 km over the ocean from Alaska to Hawaii and back. Birds fly non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico (1300 km), the Mediterranean Sea (600-750 km), the North Sea (600 km), and the Black Sea (300 km). This means that the average non-stop flight distance of birds is about 1000 km.
As a rule, the flight altitude of birds does not reach 1000 m. But some large predators, geese, ducks, can rise to much higher heights. In September 1973, an African vulture collided with a civilian aircraft at an altitude of 12,150 m above the Ivory Coast. Grif disabled one of the engines, but the plane landed safely. This is apparently an absolute record for bird flight altitude. Previously, a bearded vulture was recorded in the Himalayas at an altitude of 7900 m, migrating geese were recorded there at an altitude of 9500 m, and a mallard collided with a plane over Nevada at an altitude of 6900 m.
Not only creatures living on land try to demonstrate their speed qualities, but also those who are able to rise high into the sky. After all, there, just like on earth, there is a constant struggle for life. And here, as they say, you have to try very hard to emerge victorious from this struggle.
The speed of animals living on land depends entirely on the structure of the skeleton and the strength of the limbs. The speed of birds that soar high in the sky depends slightly on other important factors. Here the speed depends not only on the structure of the skeleton and the strength of the wings, but also on the special ability to use all this. Our conversation will focus on the fastest birds.
1 place. Peregrine falcon
Peregrine falcon (lat. Falco peregrinus) - this bird of prey is the size of an ordinary hoodie, but this does not prevent it from being the fastest among all birds. The falcon hunts in the air: before attacking its prey, the falcon rises high, gaining the required height, and only then falls down “like a stone.” In such a fall, the predator develops a speed of up to 100 m/second, which is equal to 350 km/h.
2nd place. Black swift
Black swift (lat. Apus apus) is the main rival of the peregrine falcon in high-speed flight, as well as one of its victims. However, the falcon greatly loses to the swift in horizontal flight, which allows the second to elude its enemy. Although the black swift is a small bird (its wingspan is 40-46 cm), it can easily reach speeds of up to 150 or even 180 km/h.
These birds live their entire lives in the air, where they spend all 24 hours, and black swifts live for just over three years. These birds even manage to sleep in flight: having risen to a height of 2 to 3 thousand meters, they circle there in a spiral, waking up every 5 seconds to make another flap of their wings.
3rd place. Grey-headed albatross
Grey-headed albatross (lat. Thalassarche chrysostoma) is a seabird with the largest wingspan - 3.5 m! Naturally, the albatross cannot make such dizzying dives as the peregrine falcon, but it can fly at speeds of up to 130 km/h, which it can maintain for 8 hours.
In addition, he can sleep at an altitude of about 2-3 kilometers, circling almost in one place. Thanks to its unique speed qualities, the grey-headed albatross is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
4th place. Gaga
Eiders (lat. Somateria) is a species of large seabird. An eider in horizontal flight can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h. Although it is not as fast as an albatross, it has excellent swimmer qualities: with the help of its wings, the eider can dive to a depth of 20 meters, where it catches fish, crustaceans, various invertebrates and mollusks. Eiders almost never come onto land.
5th place. Pigeon
Pigeons are excellent flyers with incredible memories. Thanks to this quality, carrier pigeons have been used at all times to send correspondence. Especially during the Second World War. The flight speed of a carrier pigeon is 85-100 km/h. They can fly for about 16 hours – without rest! In many countries, monuments have been erected to the carrier pigeon.
6th place. Starling
Starlings (lat. Sturnus vulgaris) is a small bird that not only sings beautifully, but also flies beautifully, reaching flight speeds of up to 70 km/h. The starling can travel hundreds of kilometers during its annual seasonal migration. It should be noted that starlings are capable of flying into the opening of their “home” at high speed without injuring it at all.
7th place. Field Thrush
Fieldfare (lat. Turdus pilaris) – differs from the rest of its fellows in its way of life. It likes to settle in small copses and park areas - this bird cannot be found in dense forests. The very name of this bird speaks of its extraordinary love for mountain ash. Despite the fact that it is slightly larger than the starling, its speed is lower - about 70 km/h.
8th place. Swallows
Swallows are often confused with swifts, however, swallows have wider wings and a more pronounced “fork” of the tail. In addition, swallows are inferior to swifts in speed. The speed of a coastal swallow or a barn swallow is about 65 km/h. But swallows are much more maneuverable than swifts; they can easily, not only at high speed, but also practically on the spot, turn 360 degrees.
9th place. Common kestrel
Common kestrel (lat. Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey, a distant relative of the peregrine falcon. Hunts small rodents, attacking them from above. Develops speeds up to 60-65 km/h. Easily alternates between slow and rapid flight, preferring soft gliding in the air.
10th place. Chizh
Chizh (lat. Carduelis spinus) is a small songbird that almost never descends to the ground, preferring to perch on tree branches. In the air, a siskin can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.
In reviewing flight patterns, it has already been pointed out that flights over high mountain ranges are not as rare as might be expected from the variations in migration of numerous species on the borders of high elevations. By ringing and observations, it was possible in many cases to accurately prove the presence of regular, although not very intense, flight over the Alps, the Caucasus, and even over the powerful mountain ranges of the Himalayas. It should be especially emphasized that birds do not always prefer valleys and passes, but also fly over mountain ranges (for example, in the Tien Shan), at an altitude of 6000 m. In comparison with them, the heights overcome in the Alps seem insignificant (the highest altitude is 9500 m, the highest ever climbed by birds has been reached by a flock of geese over Everest. The height was accurately determined; a flock of geese was photographed from an airplane (Garrison, 1931).
Geir was the first to point out the need to distinguish between relative and absolute flight heights. Therefore, it is very important from what point the observer registers it. In the future, we will mostly talk about relative height, i.e., the distance from the surface of the earth, regardless of whether it is the seashore, hilly or mountainous terrain. In any case, absolute height in itself does not seem to have a significant effect on the flight altitude of birds. The same species of birds fly at the same altitude on the plain as in the mountains, unless wind and weather conditions differ significantly.
For a long time it was believed that bird flights take place mainly at high altitudes and therefore are little accessible to the human eye. It was assumed that at a great distance from the surface of the earth, flight was facilitated by air currents, as well as better orientation. According to Gaetke's data for Heligoland, the passage usually takes place at an altitude of approximately 2000 m, and in some species - even 3000 m and higher (for rooks at an altitude of approximately 4500 m!). Against these views at the beginning of the 20th century. Lucanus spoke. He conducted experiments on the visibility limits of various birds for humans, raising stuffed animals with outstretched wings on balloons. It turned out that at an altitude of 800 m the rooks looked like dots, and at an altitude of 1000 m they disappeared. For sparrowhawks, these heights were 640 and 850, respectively. m, and such large birds as the buzzard and bearded vulture, at an altitude of 1500-2000 m were barely noticeable.
Estimating the flight altitude is usually erroneous and produces exaggerated results, since there are no aids for comparison similar to those we have on the ground. The main source of errors lies in the different transparency of the air under cloudless skies, light clouds and continuous clouds. Currently, accurate data on the flight altitude of birds can be obtained using sophisticated instruments created by technology for military purposes. In cases where it is necessary to prove the presence of migratory birds at high altitudes, observations of pilots and balloonists may be useful. Such observations were collected by Weigold and Lucanus. In recent years, they have been supplemented by a number of observations carried out during glider flights, and some other data (still not published, but already well-known “secrets”). With the help of modern aviation measuring instruments during the Second World War, it was often possible to establish the flights of birds at high altitudes, for example, the wood pigeon at an altitude of 2500 m. To summarize, it can be stated, however, that bird flights at altitudes of more than 1000 m relatively rare. Normally, flights take place at an altitude of several hundred meters, and often, especially in small birds, below 100 m. When the weather is favorable and there is good visibility and the wind is not too strong, birds fly much higher than in low clouds, rain, fog or a stronger headwind. The stronger the wind, the lower the birds fly, using every hill, forest edges and river valleys, where the wind force is somewhat weaker. Over the sea, birds also fly mostly above the surface of the water. If possible, they avoid fog and flying in the clouds. It is rare to see migrating birds above a continuous layer of clouds, but sometimes large birds, such as geese and cranes, fly above thick clouds. It is necessary, however, to mention a recent report by Lippens (1943), which off the coast of Belgium above two layers of clouds at an altitude of 150 and 500 m, where there was a clear sky, I watched the lively flight of plovers, herons, cormorants, geese, starlings, crows, blackbirds and finches. But in general, birds, of course, strive not to lose sight of the ground when flying.
Assumptions that height makes it easier for birds to orient themselves have not been confirmed. The air is rarely so clear that birds at an altitude of more than 1000 m, could take advantage of the expanded field of view; their visual capabilities are far from limitless. In this area, our knowledge is still insufficient, and one can only assume that the vision of birds, due to the structural features of their eyes and, in particular, the retina, is less interfered with by fogs than the vision of humans. In this regard, the comparative data of Trib (1939) are significant, who drew attention to the yellow and red oily balls included in the retina of birds, the function of which is still not well understood. Trib cited improved long-range visibility at sunset, as well as good visibility of red signal lights in foggy weather. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that long-wavelength yellow and red rays penetrate the foggy atmosphere better than short-wavelength green, blue and violet rays. In this case, it makes no difference whether the area is viewed in a reddish light or in such a way that the yellow and red rays are especially effective. This is what a photographer does, for example, who, when photographing a landscape with a foggy distance, exposes a light-sensitive plate through an orange filter. If you exclude all but the longest rays in the infrared part of the spectrum, you can photograph even at a distance of hundreds of kilometers. Red-yellow balls in the eyes of birds have a similar effect. Thus, migratory birds can see the coast of Africa even in foggy weather from Sicily. However, it seems that birds navigate mainly by specific features of the landscape, rather than by the general contours of the earth's surface. If this were otherwise, then some islands would not play the role of guide lines and guide points, massive flyways would disappear, and numerous bypass routes would be shortened. However, all of these conditions exist and influence bird migration, providing proof that migration takes place, on average, at low altitude. Birds often only need to fly a little higher to find landmarks that would seem to make following guide lines unnecessary. Duncker (1905) compiled a summary of the visibility range (regardless of atmospheric conditions) from various heights. Based on formula r =ROOT2Rk = 113ROOTh the following figures were obtained.
Flight speed
There is hardly any issue related to bird migration that is so widely misconceived as the issue of flight speed. Most people's opinions about the speed at which birds fly are based on casual, short-term observations, and therefore it is usually greatly exaggerated. Others compare the speed of birds flying with the speed of a car, train or plane. However, they will not find such speeds even among the fastest flyers known to us. For example, swifts fly at a speed of 40-50 m/sec (regardless of the wind), which corresponds to approximately 150-160 km/h. (Compare: the maximum speed of an express train is 39 m/sec, or 140 km/h.) This, of course, does not mean that birds cannot fly faster at all. Swifts chasing each other reach speeds of up to 200 km/h, and a falcon rushes at its prey at a speed of 70 m/sec, i.e. 250 km/h. But these extreme speeds for very short periods of time are exceptions: they at best characterize the flight ability of some species, but they cannot be used to estimate flight speed during migrations when long-term effort is required.
During long migrations, not only flight ability is important, but also wind. Depending on its direction and strength, the birds' speed can significantly decrease or increase. Particularly high flight speeds can only be explained by taking into account wind support. Thus, in the example above, the speed of English lapwings flying across the Atlantic Ocean, equal to approximately 70 km/h, increased to 150 km/h thanks to a tailwind, the speed of which reached 90 km/h. Taking into account the retarding or accelerating influence of the wind, it is possible to accurately measure the birds' own speed over short distances and, in accordance with this, calculate the true speed of flight. For the first time such calculations were made by Thieneman on the Kursk Spit. Subsequently they were made by Meinertzhagen, Harrison, etc.
| View | According to Tienemann | According to Meinertzhagen |
|---|---|---|
| Sparrowhawk | 41,4 | * |
| Herring gull | 49,7 | * |
| Great sea gull | 50 | * |
| Crow | 50-52,2 | 51-59 |
| Finches | 52,5 | 32-59 |
| Peregrine falcon | 59,2 | * |
| Jackdaw | 61,5 | * |
| Starling | 74,1 | 63-81 |
| Falcon | * | 66-79 |
| Waders | * | 66-85 |
| Geese | * | 69-91 |
| Ducks | * | 72-97 |
| Swallows | * | 100-120 |
The figures given in the table give a clear idea of the maximum flight speeds of birds. In general, it is obviously equal to 40-80 km/h, with the speed of small songbirds approaching the lowest figures. Birds migrating at night seem to fly faster than those migrating during the day. The low speed of migration of raptors and other large birds is striking. The same bird species usually fly much slower in the nesting area than during migration, if these speeds can be compared at all.
No matter how small the flight speed of birds is usually, or rather no matter how small it may seem to us, it is quite sufficient for some species to reach their wintering grounds in a few days and nights. Moreover, at such a speed, provided there is a fair wind (as, for example, when lapwings fly over the ocean), many migratory birds could fly to the tropics within a few days or nights. However, birds cannot maintain this flight speed for more than a few hours; they almost never fly for several days or nights in a row; as a rule, their flight is interrupted for a short rest or for longer stops; the latter give the flight as a whole the character of a leisurely “walk”. This is how long migrations occur.
When considering the average speeds of day or night flights of individual species accurately established by ringing, one must always keep in mind that they do not characterize the ability to fly and the speed developed during migration, but indicate only the duration of flight and the distance between the places of ringing and finds of ringed birds in terms of one day. Numerous finds of ringed birds prove that birds quickly fly most of the way, and use the rest of the time to rest in places rich in food. This type of flight occurs most frequently. A uniform distribution of load and rest is much less common.
For birds flying long distances, the average daily distance is approximately 150-200 km, while those flying not so far do not cover 100 km in the same time. A flight duration of 2-3 or 3-4 months is consistent with these data. many species that winter in tropical and southern Africa. For example, the stork, which usually leaves Germany at the end of August, reaches its wintering grounds in South Africa only at the end of November or December. The same terms apply to the shrike. Swallows migrate faster - from September to early November. How great, however, individual differences are in this case can be seen in the example of 3 ringed coot redstarts, one of which covered 167 km daily, another 61 km and the third only 44 km, and these numbers decrease as the time period increases. for which they are calculated (6, 30 and 47 days). Based on these results, it can be concluded that daily speed is most consistent with true flight speed when it is calculated on the basis of overall performance over a short period of time. This conclusion is best proven by the following examples of the flight speed of individual birds: a stork covered 610 km in 2 days, a black-headed warbler covered 2200 km in 10 days, a coot covered 1300 km in 7 days, another coot covered 525 km in 2 days, and a mallard covered 5 days - 1600 km. These data can be contrasted with the daily speed of the song thrush - 40 km (calculated over 56 days of flight), the chaffinch - 17.4 km (calculated over 23 days of flight) and the sparrowhawk - 12.5 km (calculated over 30 days of flight). These data are comparable to the above data for redstarts, whose average speeds are strongly influenced by long rest stops as the flight duration increases.
When assessing the daily route and speed of flight, another important factor must not be overlooked: any digital data can be calculated only for the ideal flight route, that is, for a straight line connecting the places of banding and the discovery of the banded bird. In reality, the flight path is always longer, deviations from a straight line are often quite significant, and the work performed and speed are much higher than calculated. These errors are almost impossible to eliminate and therefore must be taken into account, especially on very long flights.
In addition, you should pay attention to when this data was received. The fact is that during spring migration the indicators in many cases are significantly higher than during autumn migration. In isolated cases, it could be proven with confidence that the spring migration is twice as fast as the autumn one, for example, in the stork, godwit and shrike.
Stresemann (1944) accurately established that in the spring the migration of the shrike lasts approximately 60 days, and in the fall - about 100 days. On average, these birds fly about 200 km per day. However, they only fly at night for 10 hours. at a speed of 50 km/h. After such a flight, they always rest, so that they cover a distance of 1000 km in 5 days: migration - 2 nights, sleep - 3 nights, feeding - 5 days.
A few more words about the maximum speeds and flight durations that characterize the capabilities of migratory birds: the turnstone, a small coastal bird ringed on Heligoland, was found after 25 hours. in Northern France, 820 km to the south. Numerous small songbirds regularly fly in 12-15 hours. The Gulf of Mexico is 750-1000 km wide. According to Moreau (1938), some small falcons (Falco concolor and F. amurensis), as well as Asian bee-eaters (Merops persicus and M. apiaster), wintering on the coast of South Africa, also fly at least 3000 km over the sea. The Hawaiian Islands serve as the wintering grounds for a number of northern shorebirds, which, migrating from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, where their breeding grounds are located, are forced to fly 3,300 km over the open. by sea. The golden plover, a particularly strong flyer, would take approximately 35 hours to cover this distance at a speed of about 90 km/h. Higher speeds were observed in another species of plovers, flying from Nova Scotia to the northern tip of South America 3600 km above the sea. It seems almost incredible that one of the Japanese-breeding snipes will fly to winter in eastern Australia and must cover almost 5,000 km to reach their wintering grounds. On the way, he probably does not rest at all, since he was never celebrated in other places.
Flying over water can be compared to flying over large deserts. Such a flight also undoubtedly takes place without interruption, for example, the flight over Western Sahara of small songbirds, wagtails and pipits, which requires 30-40 hours. continuous operation, if their speed of passage is considered to be approximately 50 km/h.
Since childhood, we have been interested in one simple riddle: who is really the fastest of birds? These amazing creatures have such a reserve of strength that many would envy them. The result of research on a similar topic may surprise many.
The fastest bird in the world
The first place in such a list of the fastest birds is taken by the peregrine falcon. It is this inconspicuous bird that can move at a speed of approximately 389 kilometers per hour, which (for comparison) significantly exceeds the speed of free fall of parachutists.
It is this fastest bird in the world that can give a head start to many animals, while the peregrine falcon can be found on absolutely all continents, except perhaps Antarctica. Its main feature is that it can develop such enormous speed only by diving from a height.
Peregrine falcon dimensions
In appearance, this fastest bird in the world is no more than a crow, moreover, it has gray plumage, which becomes light gray on the abdomen, and the head is always black.
The peregrine falcon survives thanks to a unique hunting technique, which consists of diving from a height onto its prey and knocking it down with a blow of its tucked paws. The speed with which the peregrine falcon does this could easily result in it knocking off the poor prey's head.
Second fastest
In fact, the bird that will be discussed further can easily take first place in this unique speed rating.
The main reason for this is that the peregrine falcon develops enormous speed when it “falls” from the sky, but the swift’s flight speed is enormous in the horizontal plane.
It can reach speeds of more than 170 kilometers per hour. You can meet such a miracle only in Northern or Central Asia, as well as in Central Europe. The bird spends its wintering in Africa or India. Nowadays its natural habitat is cities, and much less often it concerns forests.
Appearance of a swift
The swift is even smaller in size than the peregrine falcon, and weighs only 50-150 grams.
The black swift is the fastest. It has dark brown plumage with a barely noticeable metallic tint. It can easily be confused with a swallow, because these bird species are quite similar, especially when viewed from above.
Features of the bird
The peculiarity of the swift is that literally a few centuries ago it could be eaten, arguing that the meat was quite tasty.
If we do not take into account this gastronomic feature, there is another curious fact: the swift spends almost all of its time in the air. In the most literal sense of the word. Flying out of the nest eight weeks after birth, it lands only after approximately 3 years. Given that its legs are very short and its toes point only forward, it is quite difficult to take off from the ground on its own, but it is possible. All you need is a few very strong flaps of your wings and at least a slight elevation to make it easier to take off. The wings themselves are disproportionately large, if you still compare them with the size of the body itself.
Long, curved wings and a perfectly streamlined body, a flat head, as well as a short neck - all these aerodynamic features allow the swift to even sleep in the air. Being at an altitude of up to 3 thousand meters in a flock, it simply flies in a circle and falls asleep, while waking up every 5 seconds in order to once again flap its wings and not fall.
This fastest bird on earth can fly approximately 500 thousand kilometers in its entire life, landing only a few times in its life just to breed.
Swallow and swift: differences
It was previously said that a swift can be very similar to a swallow in its appearance. But still, their most important difference is their flight speed - the swift reaches a speed of about 170 kilometers per hour, and the swallow only 60 kilometers per hour. But nevertheless, a swift cannot be better in flight maneuverability than a swallow. A bird of this species also differs from the swift in the structure of its legs - the swift has four toes turned forward, while swallows have three toes turned forward and one toe turned back. That is why they can sit on telegraph wires and easily stay there, but this is definitely not possible for a swift.
Swifts have a dark belly, while swallows have a white belly. Moreover, in flight, the first type of bird is distinguished by its excessive noisiness and never folds its wings. In addition, the swift is larger in size than the swallow.
Bird flight speed
The third fastest in this ranking is the grey-headed albatross. It is larger in size than its predecessors, having a wingspan of 3.5 meters. Due to the fact that the albatross cannot make such a rapid dive or live constantly in the air, it is distinguished by its endurance.
It is he who can fly at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour for eight hours. Although he is not the fastest bird in the world, he is in the Guinness Book of Records due to his amazing features.
The eider is a bird from the duck family that can reach speeds of approximately one hundred kilometers per hour. At the same time, it can withstand long flights, although it does not rise high into the sky, because its main food is in the water - mollusks, worms, small fish. That is why the eider is not only a fast bird, but also an excellent diver.
Next in the ranking of the fastest birds in the world is the homing pigeon. This species has proven itself well in various conditions - both in peacetime and during military operations. That is why the pigeon must be given due respect.
Its flight speed ranges from 90 to 100 kilometers per hour. Pigeons are much more resilient than albatrosses - some individuals can stay in the air for more than 16 hours.
The starling is an inconspicuous bird with a pleasant singing voice; it has also proven itself to be an excellent flyer. Starlings can reach speeds of approximately 70 kilometers per hour, and they are found on every continent on our planet.
The fieldfare thrush can also reach a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. It is distributed throughout Europe and Asia, and its voice and unusual plumage always attract quite a lot of attention.
