Migratory songbirds flying high

[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

Most birders have read that migrating Bar-headed Geese fly over the Himalayas on their migratory way from India to Siberia, and then again on the return flight. They’ve even been seen from the top of Mt. Everest, overhead, presumably honking away as geese tend to do while in migratory flight. But they’re not the only high-flyers. Follow the links below to learn about others.

Migratory songbirds climb to extreme altitudes during daytime
Lund University | ScienceDaily | 7 May 2021 | 5 min read

From the article:

Great reed warblers normally migrate by night during its month-long migration from northern Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa. However, researchers have now discovered that during the few occasions when it continues to fly during daytime, it flies at extremely high altitudes (up to 6300 meters). One possible explanation for this unexpected and consistent behaviour could be that the birds want to avoid overheating. The study is published in Science.

Migratory birds found to be flying much higher than expected – new research
The Conversation | Sissel Sjöberg | 13 Sep 2021 | 8 minute read

From the article:

During crossings of the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert, the great reed warblers sometimes prolong their night flights either for a few hours into the following day, or for the full day and next night, lasting up to 35 hours.

Great snipes, meanwhile, are waders weighing about 200g and breed in the mountains of northern Sweden. An international team of researchers led by Åke Lindström at Lund have been tracking these birds for the last decade. Studies have revealed that great snipes have developed a migratory strategy where most of the 6,000km journey to their wintering ranges in sub-Saharan Africa is performed in one long non-stop flight, lasting 60-90 hours.