In a surprise to researchers, a flock of Alpine Swift birds flew non-stop for 200 days The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.
"It seemed to me unlikely that they did not rest somewhere on trees or cliffs," lead study author and ornithologist, Felix Liechti, told The Times "I was very surprised."
When looking at data from the study, Liechti examined it twice to make sure it was accurate. The information showed the Alpine Swift did not stop flying from late September until early spring. That means the birds ate, drank and slept in the air during the sixth-month period.
Based on short term data from a radar, ornithologists believe the bird's smaller counterpart, the common swift, remained in the sky for most of the year, the Times reported. Up until this recent discovery, only aquatic animals such as dolphins have been known to be able to move for long periods of time since they sleep by resting one half of their brain at a time.
In the study, researchers from the Swiss Ornithological Institute and the Bern University of Applied Sciences captured six alpine swifts before they flew off to western Africa. Before re-releasing the birds, researchers affixed small electronic devices, the size of a postage stamp, which would be used to track where the birds' location, monitor how their bodies were changing and how they were moving based on sunlight.
After the birds returned to Switzerland, researchers downloaded data from three speicmens. To save time and remain afloat, Liechti and his team found the birds did not rest on the ground during the day. At night, they kept their wing flapping to a minimum, and glided for longer periods of time. When it came to eating, the birds ate aerial plankton, bugs and spiders that are typically sent to the sky by high winds.
