CrowdScience How high can birds fly?
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Jan 24, 2025 Catherine Ivy, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan, studies how birds like bar-headed geese manage long migrations at high altitudes. Lucy Hawkes, an associate professor at the University of Exeter, explores the unique physiology that allows these geese to fly over the Himalayas. They discuss adaptations such as super-powered hearts and lungs, the challenges of thinner air and scarcity of oxygen, and share fascinating insights from their groundbreaking research on avian altitude capabilities.
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Hawk and Cockatoo Chase
- Listener Alison from Sydney, Australia, observed a hawk effortlessly soaring high in a thermal, while a pursuing cockatoo struggled to keep up.
- This sparked her curiosity about altitude limits in birds and the physiological factors influencing their flight capabilities.
Larry Swan's Observation
- In 1961, Larry Swan witnessed bar-headed geese flying over Makalu, the world's fifth-highest mountain, at an altitude of around 8,500 meters.
- This observation highlighted the geese's remarkable high-altitude flight capabilities.
Challenges of High-Altitude Flight
- High-altitude flight is challenging for birds due to thin air, reduced oxygen, and decreased lift.
- These conditions require special adaptations for birds to thrive at high altitudes.