New research has revealed when it comes to flying the largest of birds don’t rely on flapping to move around.
New research has revealed when it comes to flying the largest of birds don’t rely on flapping to move around. Instead they make use of air currents to keep them airborne for hours at a time.
The Andean condor – the world’s heaviest soaring bird which can weigh in at up to 15kg – actually flaps its wings for one per cent of its flight time.
The study is part of a collaboration between Swansea University’s Professor Emily Shepard and Dr Sergio Lambertucci in Argentina, that uses high-tech flight-recorders on Andean condors. These log each and every wingbeat and twist and turn in flight as condors search for food.
The team wanted to find out more about how birds’ flight efforts vary depending on environmental conditions. Their findings will help to improve understanding about large birds’ capacity for soaring and the specific circumstances that make flight costly.
During the study, the researchers discovered that more than 75 per cent of the condors’ flapping was associated with take-off.
Read more at Swansea University
Image: The Andean condor actually flaps its wings for one per cent of its flight time. CREDIT: Facundo Vital
