The world's longest commercial airline flight covers more than 8,800 miles and lasts more than 17 hours. If you think that's one hell of a dreadful long time, wait till you see this bird.
The 17 hour flight is nothing for the great frigatebird. This remarkable seabird can stay aloft for weeks, covering hundreds of miles a day while eating and sleeping on the wing.
Scientists spent years tracking dozens of frigatebirds that were fitted with lightweight solar-powered sensors. These sensors collect data on the birds' altitude and GPS coordinates as well as their heart rate and even the frequency with which they flapped their wings.
The new research found that these birds could stay aloft for up to 56 days straight. This study was published Friday in a the Journal Science. The research is lead by Henri Weimerskirch of the Chize Center for Biological Studies in France.
The frigatebirds were really known to stay aloft for several days, but it's very remarkable to see that these birds can stay aloft for two months.
Though other birds can stay aloft for even longer stretches, these birds are too small to be fitted with the kinds of sensors used in the latest research.
Great frigatebirds grow more than 3 feet in length, with a wingspan measuring 7.5. feet. They eat mostly flying fish and nest on islands in the Pacific, Indian and South Atlantic oceans.
The data also revealed that frigatebirds are fantastic gliders, flapping their wings just once every six minutes or so.The tracked birds spent more of their time at altitudes of 30 to 2,000 meters, sometimes soaring to 4,000 meters (nearly 2.5 miles high).
To make the most of helpful air currents, the birds weren't afraid to fly straight into clouds.
Source: The Huffington Post
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