Swiftlets: The Unmatched Aviation Champions of the Animal Kingdom

The common swiftlet (Apus apus) holds the record for the longest flight, with the ability to stay in the air for 10 months continuously. While traveling nearly a day by plane is already considered a tiring long-distance flight for humans, it is nothing compared to the capabilities of ordinary swiftlets (Scam scam). Many people start to feel uncomfortable after just a few hours of flying, even if they are sitting still. However, swiftlets can spread their wings for 10 months to fly continuously in the air.

Swiftlets have been known to set flight time records since the 1970s when Welsh ornithologist Ronald Lockley suggested that they could do so. It was not until decades later that a group of researchers at Lund University in Sweden were able to confirm this. Their research was published in the journal Current Biology in 2016.

In this study, scientists monitored 13 adult swiftlets by attaching tiny data recorders to them. The device contained an accelerometer to record flight activity and a light sensor to locate the bird. Some of the birds were tracked for years as they migrated from Sweden to the southern Sahara desert in winter and then returned.

The results showed that common swiftlets spend most of their time in the air, with some birds staying on land for only two months of the year. Although some birds occasionally land during migration, their flight time still accounts for more than 99%. Three swifts even stayed in the air for all ten months of migration, an impressive feat considering their small size, each weighing only about 40 grams.

Researchers believe that the difference between swiftlets that fly long distances and those that land may lie in their plumage. Birds that land do not change their wing feathers while those that fly continuously lose their feathers and grow new ones which helps them fly efficiently. Common swiftlets have evolved to be very efficient fliers, with streamlined body shapes and long narrow wings that generate lift with little effort which helps them consume less energy during long flights and replenish quickly energy by eating flying insects on way back home . Scientists are still unsure if swiftlets sleep while flying or not but they know they can soar up high at dusk and dawn reaching up heights around 2-3 km .