Lost Eagle Ends Up in Ireland & Other Incredible Flights

in #nature5 years ago

In 1987, a young American bald eagle was found in Killarney National Park in western Ireland, around 3,000 miles from his point of origin. The bird was practically dead from exhaustion and very hungry, said wildlife ranger Pat O'Connell, who found the eagle and nursed him back to health.

The eagle became a celebrity in Ireland for a time, before he was flown back to the States and released. In this strange case, the young bird was probably driven away by its parents (a normal practice once the young reach a certain age) and became lost at sea. The powerful west winds would have certainly aided the eagle in reaching such a long distance, but some birds are known to purposefully travel much further.

An albatross can fly over 10,00 miles in one flight, and a wading bird called the bar-tailed godwit has been recorded flying from Alaska to New Zealand in only 9 days of non-stop flight.

Alpine swifts have been found to be able stay in the air continuously for 200 days or more, and members of other swift species have been observed to only land and rest for several hours in the course of a whole year. Of course, this is quite unusual, and these birds are specially adapted to remain aloft, either sleeping in flight or putting half of its brain to sleep at a time like dolphins do.


Alpine Swift.

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The crazy feats of animals are very admirable.

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