WHY DO WHOOPER SWANS FLY AT UNBELIEVABLY HIGH ALTITUDES?

Migratory whooper swans from Iceland to Ireland fly at incredibly high altitudes—8,230 meters (27,000 feet)— where the temperatures are -400C (-400F). Although it is cold at that altitude, the swans benefit in two ways: they avoid persistent snow squalls common at lower attitudes and ride a wind current that gives them a ground speed of 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour. Riding this wind current helps them to fly from Iceland to Ireland—a distance of 1,290 kilometers (approximately 800 miles)—in just under 7 hours.