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In 1973, an airliner struck a bird called a Rüppell's griffon vulture – which, on its own, isn't that weird; planes hit birds pretty regularly during takeoffs and landings. But this collision happened at a cruising height of over 11,000 meters – WAY above the height at which most birds fly – which makes us wonder: what is the highest a bird can actually fly?
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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Lift Coefficient: A dimensionless number that represents how effectively a wing generates lift based on its shape and angle. The higher the coefficient, the more lift produced.
- Square Cube Law: A principle stating that as an object increases in size, its volume grows much faster than its surface area. This affects heat loss/gain and strength, impacting flight feasibility.
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Cameron Duke | Script Writer, Narrator and Director
Arcadi Garcia i Rius | Storyboard Artist
Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation
Nathaniel Schroeder | Music
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Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke
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REFERENCES
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Special thanks to Dr. Maria Stager and Dr. Bret Tobalkse
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Hawkes, L.A., et al (2013). The paradox of extreme high-altitude migration in bar-headed geese Anser indicus. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.2114
Tennekes, H. (2009). The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (revised and expanded ed.). MIT Press. ISBN: 9780262700658
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Butler, P.J., et al (2000). Heart rate and rate of oxygen consumption during flight of the barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1095-6433(00)00221-X
Butler, P.J. (2016). The physiological basis of bird flight. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0384
Scott, G.R., et al (2009). Evolution of muscle phenotype for extreme high altitude flight in the bar-headed goose. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.0947
Bernstein, M.H., Duran, H.L., & Pinshow, B. (1984). Extrapulmonary gas exchange enhances brain oxygen in pigeons. Science, 226(4674), 564–566. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6436975