All people love to watch high-flying birds in the sky. Maybe this is because the representatives of the human race are not given the opportunity to experience the joy of flight themselves? But at what exact height the bird soars is rather difficult to determine. In most cases, the flight takes place at an altitude of about 150 m from the ground, but during seasonal migrations, some individuals rise up to 3 thousand m. But this is not the limit …
Rüppel's neck
To date, the top of the podium among feathered pilots is occupied by the Gyps rueppellii vulture - the highest flying bird on the planet. It is these birds, according to ornithologists, that most often cause collisions with flying planes. The world record for bar height is 12,150 meters and has not yet been broken.
Vultures are the same eagles, only with an unfeathered head and neck. They settle in pairs, avoiding communication with relatives, and get together only to share a meal. The vulture of Rüppel lives in the east and north of the African continent, for which the African vulture received a different name.
The flights of these birds cause delight, but how birds flying at such an altitude cope with low temperatures, the radiation of the sun and thin air, science is not reliably known.
Mountain goose
It is impossible to believe that a fat and clumsy waterfowl mountain goose (Eulabeia indica) can rise to a height of 10175 m! However, it is true. This bird, nesting at an altitude of up to 5000m in the mountains of Central Asia, is able to fly over the peaks of the Himalayas in just 8 hours. Although they are not able to overcome very long distances without a break for rest.
The mountain goose, like all other species of geese, belongs to the fauna of the northern latitudes. They migrate to warm regions only in winter, gathering in large flocks and forming a wedge. Unlike the duck family, geese have the same plumage of different sexes.
Whooper swan
In the north of Europe, another high-flying representative of waterfowl lives - the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) - a large waterfowl up to 10 kg. In the winter of 1967, in the skies of Ireland, radars detected a small flock of swans flying at an altitude of 8230 meters. It is worth noting that the ability of these birds to fly at an altitude of more than 8 thousand meters has been confirmed more than once. The whooper swan differs from its congeners by its yellow beak with a black tip and a powerful voice that is not devoid of harmony.
Mallard
The most recognizable bird of the duck family is Anas platyrhynchos, or, in simple terms, the wild duck. But only a few people know that this waterfowl is also a first-class flyer. When the season of annual migrations to wintering grounds begins, the mallard rises to an altitude of 6900 m, which sometimes led to collisions with aircraft.
