How High Can Birds Fly?

Опубликовано 19 июня 2026, 15:56

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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?

LEARN MORE
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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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REFERENCES
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Special thanks to Dr. Maria Stager and Dr. Bret Tobalkse

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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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