Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Tracking showed the birds never landed during their African winter. The figure is taken from PLOS ONE, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a records & extremes fact?

Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Alpine swifts can stay airborne for over 200 days

Tracking showed the birds never landed during their African winter Researchers fitted lightweight data loggers to Alpine swifts breeding in Switzerland and found that some individuals remained in flight for more than 200 days without touching down. The birds feed on insects caught in the air and appear to sleep in short bouts while gliding. The study, published in 2013, used acceleration and light data to rule out landings. It sits in Mondo's records & extremes collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

PLOS ONE

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Nature & Animals trivia Science trivia

More facts like this

Arctic terns make the longest migration of any animalTagged birds flew nearly 90,000 kilometres in one annual round trip Wandering albatrosses can fly thousands of miles without flappingAlbatrosses exploit ocean wind shear gradients using dynamic soaring.Common swifts can stay airborne for ten months continuouslySwifts feed, mate, and sleep in mid-air without landing on ground.Many bird bones are hollow and struttedInternal braces keep them stiff while saving weight for flight Arctic terns complete the longest migration of any animalArctic terns fly about 90,000 kilometres annually from pole to pole.A godwit flew 11,000 kilometres without landingThe bar-tailed bird crossed the Pacific in about nine days

Tags: birds, flight, migration

Alpine swifts can stay airborne for over 200 days: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Tracking showed the birds never landed during their African winter. The figure is taken from PLOS ONE, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a records & extremes fact?: Yes. It sits on the Records & Extremes shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.