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How albatrosses can travel 10,000 miles in a single journey
Researchers have finally cracked the mystery about how albatrosses manage to stay in the air when they travel 10,000 miles in a single journey without flapping their huge wings too much.
London: Researchers have finally cracked the mystery about how albatrosses manage to stay in the air when they travel 10,000 miles in a single journey without flapping their huge wings too much.
For the study, scientists attached highly sensitive GPS trackers to 16 wandering albatrosses in the Indian Ocean, the Independent reported. The GPS trackers helped scientists make a detailed record of the sea birds` flight path by measuring each bird`s position 10 times a second and to within a few centimetres. The findings showed that the birds execute a "highly dynamic manoeuvre" that involves gaining height by angling their wings while flying into the wind, then turning and swooping along for up to 100 metres.
For the study, scientists attached highly sensitive GPS trackers to 16 wandering albatrosses in the Indian Ocean, the Independent reported. The GPS trackers helped scientists make a detailed record of the sea birds` flight path by measuring each bird`s position 10 times a second and to within a few centimetres. The findings showed that the birds execute a "highly dynamic manoeuvre" that involves gaining height by angling their wings while flying into the wind, then turning and swooping along for up to 100 metres.