“They eat and sleep while they are airborne. This is something that researchers have believed since the 1950s, and now we can show that its true”, says Anders Hedenström, professor at the Department of Biology at Lund University.
Three years ago, the same research team at Lund University observed that within the species common swift, (Apus apus) there were individuals that live in the air for up to ten consecutive months without landing – a world record for being airborne. A different research team has also shown that the alpine swift could live largely in the air.
In the current study, Anders Hedenström and his colleagues Susanne Åkesson, Gabriel Norevik, Arne Andersson and Johan Bäckman at Lund University, and Giovanni Boano from Italy, studied four individuals of the species pallid swift (Apus pallidus). The results show that the birds are in the air without landing for between two and three and a half months, depending on the individual.
Using micro-data loggers attached to the birds, the researchers measured movement when the wings flap. The loggers record activity every five minutes, and the birds location once a month. Using this method, the researchers have been able to ascertain that the birds live for months at a time in the air during the winter months, the period of the year they spend in West Africa after the breeding season in Italy.
“They land when they breed under a roof tile or in a hole, otherwise they live in the air. They eat insects while they fly, and when they have reached a high altitude and start gliding, they actually sleep for short periods”, says Anders Hedenström.
The breeding season dictates why pallid swifts cannot fly for as many months in a row as the common swift, i.e. ten months. Pallid swifts lay two clutches in one season, the common swift only one.
“However, it doesnt actually matter if a species spends three or ten months in the air. Both are adapted to live in that element, they are designed to fly with maximised energy efficiency, regardless of whether they are flapping or gliding”, says Anders Hedenström, continuing:
“Its always said, of course, that flying is birds most energy-intensive activity. I have calculated that a nightingale, which doesnt live in the air in the same way at all, expends as much energy as a pallid swift, which is in the air all the time.”
Swifts have a high survival rate compared to many other birds. The researchers believe this is due to swifts spending such a large part of their lives in the air, where predators cannot surprise them in the same way as on the ground or in a nest. Also, when airborne they are not affected by parasites in the same way as on the ground.
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
From 2014 to 2017, Amy was a full-time guide at Londolozi. She then moved into the media department, where her photographic and storytelling abilities were evident. Her profound passion for the wild and her spiritual bond with Africa inspired her writing and served as a compass.
Even with their amazing ability to sleep while in flight, frigatebirds still get a pitiful amount of sleep. On average, they sleep for only 42 minutes a day. This is comparable to the giraffes we see here, who sleep for only thirty minutes a day on average. When they are on land, frigatebirds are accustomed to sleeping for approximately 12 hours a day, in contrast to giraffes who require little sleep. This implies that during their foraging flights, frigatebirds are severely sleep deprived. It’s still unclear how they manage to function on such little sleep.
The experiment conducted by Rattenborg and colleagues was conducted on frigatebirds, which can fly continuously for weeks in pursuit of food. The study discovered that these birds were traveling at a speed of up to 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers) per hour without taking a break. The birds would spend the day searching for food, and when dusk fell, they would spend a few minutes at a time inside USWS.
We now know how Alpine swifts fly while they sleep, but we still don’t know why they decide not to land on their southern migration excursion. While not all of them do this, some do land in order to breed Though I may be biased, South Africa’s Lowveld seems like a pretty fantastic place to spend a summer and occasionally take a nap. Some individuals, however, have been shown through electronic tags in a study by the Swiss Ornithological Institute, to spend more than 6 months aloft! The allure of the unknown, however, lies in the fact that it serves as a reminder of how little we actually know about the animals that inhabit our planet. As a result, we can only go deeper into the mystery that unites us all.
Please create a Londolozi Live account to become a part of our expanding online community, which is bonded by our love of the outdoors and respect for the natural world. Free membership gives you access to the Londolozi community as well as a host of cutting-edge features and advantages throughout our digital ecosystem, like quick sign-in and sign-up.
But in reality, it makes no difference if a species flies for three or ten months. According to Anders Hedenström, “Both are made to fly with maximum energy efficiency, whether they are gliding or flapping, and they are adapted to live in that element.”
“They live in the air, only landing to breed in holes or beneath roof tiles.” They actually sleep for brief periods of time after reaching a high altitude and beginning to glide, and they consume insects while they fly, according to Anders Hedenström.
In the current study, four members of the species pallid swift (Apus pallidus) were studied by Anders Hedenström, his colleagues Susanne Åkesson, Gabriel Norevik, Arne Andersson, and Johan Bäckman at Lund University, as well as Giovanni Boano from Italy. According to the data, depending on the specific bird, the birds stay in the air for two to three and a half months without landing.
Of course, it’s always been said that a bird’s most energy-intensive activity is flying. According to my calculations, a pallid swift, which is always in the air, uses up twice as much energy as a nightingale, which doesn’t live in the air at all. “.
The survival rate of swifts is higher than that of many other birds. Because swifts spend so much of their lives in the air, where predators cannot surprise them as they can when they are on the ground or in a nest, the researchers hypothesize that this is the cause. Furthermore, they are not impacted by parasites when in the air as opposed to when they are on the ground.
FAQ
Do swifts sleep in air?
Where do swifts probably sleep?
What does the swift do at night?
Do swifts ever rest?