Alpine swifts can remain in flight for 200 days.

You might be good at multitasking, but you probably aren’t as good as the Alpine swift. The small, swallow-like bird found in Europe and Africa can remain in flight for 200 days while migrating, during which time they eat insects, groom themselves, and even sleep while airborne. Alpine swifts native to Switzerland will fly all the way to Western Africa in order to stay warm during winter, a distance of thousands of miles (and you thought the trip to Florida was long).

All birds migrate.

fact

FIB

Ready to reveal?

Confirm your email to play the next question?

sign up!

Please enter valid email.

Sign up

Oops, incorrect!

It's a fib

Migration comes with no shortage of hazards, and many birds — including ravens, great horned owls, quail, and myriad other species — simply don’t bother. This allows them to save energy, defend their territory, and more easily care for their young.

Weighing in at just one-fifth of a pound, Alpine swifts (Tachymarptis melba) are tiny but mighty. They spend almost their entire lives airborne, although they do roost and breed on cliff faces and other high, rocky areas. And they come from a distinguished family: Scientists have discovered that the closely related common swift (Apus apus) can stay airborne for up to 10 months uninterrupted, now considered the world’s longest continuous flight. Both birds have evolved to adapt to a life in the sky — swifts' legs tend to be small and clumsy, making the creatures vulnerable to predators while they’re on the ground. Once airborne, though, they can fly fast and free.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Email