10 months of continuous flight: which birds are able to be in the air for so long

Black swifts are truly unique birds, because none of the birds no longer has such a love for flying. Of course, for all flying birds, the air element is their home, and all of them are perfectly oriented in space, skillfully using the force and direction of air flows. But only swifts can be in the air for so long, literally reveling in flight, and their absolute record is 10 months in the air without a single landing.

Black swifts are widespread throughout Eurasia, with the exception of northern Siberia, humid southeastern regions of Asia and high-mountainous landscapes, devoid of their usual habitats. This is a migratory bird that winters in Africa south of the equator and spends part of the year on intercontinental flights. This type of swifts often chooses cities as a summer habitat, settling on the roofs of high-rises and delighting the townspeople with its swift flight and whistle. True, inexperienced ornithologists often take black swifts for urban swallows, confused by the similar outlines of birds during the flight. In fact, they are not even relatives and belong not only to different families, but also to units.

Swifts are distinguished by rapid flight, and the maximum recorded speed with which these birds cut through the celestial distances is 110-120 km / h. This, of course, is not the most outstanding record among birds (in this type of competition, black swifts pass the peregrine falcon, golden eagle and many others), but they have no equal in flight duration. As scientists were able to find out, these birds can be in the air without contact with a solid surface for up to 10 months, that is, almost all year round, with the exception of the breeding season, when the need comes to lay eggs and breed.

Of course, such a long stay in the air was made possible thanks to some features. It turns out that swifts can not only eat in the air, but also sleep. After a hearty dinner in the evening, when the air is replete with insects, the birds rise to a height of 2-3 kilometers and take time to rest. Sleep occurs right in the process of flight: swifts sleep for some time, planning down, then wake up briefly, make a few flaps of the wings, gaining height, and fall asleep again.

In addition to a very long flight and sleep in the air, black swifts, however, like all other representatives of the genus, have another interesting feature - they are not able to walk. If a magpie or sparrow can walk on the ground in search of food, then swifts are completely deprived of the opportunity to walk due to the special structure of their toes. If suddenly the swift found itself on the ground for some reason, he cannot take a single step. And in order to take off, the black swift has to bounce, since the wings are too long compared to short legs and there is not enough space for a flap. These are such interesting black swifts that can fly non-stop for 10 months of the year, but they can’t walk at all.