Highest flying birds
- Who
- Gyps rueppellii
- What
- 11300 metre(s)
- Where
- Cote d'Ivoire
- When
- 29 November 1973
The highest altitude recorded for a bird is 11,300 m (37,000 ft) for a Rüppell's vulture (Gyps rueppellii), which collided with a commercial aircraft over Abidjan, Ivory Coast on 29 November 1973. The impact damaged one of the aircraft's engines, causing it to shut down, but the plane landed safely without further incident. Sufficient feather remains of the bird were recovered to allow the American Museum of Natural History to make a positive identification of this high-flier, which is rarely seen above 6,000 m (20,000 ft).
On 9 December 1967 about 30 whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) were recorded at an altitude of just over 8,230 m 27,000 ft flying in from Iceland to winter at Loch Foyle bordering Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. They were spotted by an airline pilot over the Outer Hebrides, and the height was also confirmed on radar by air traffic control.
Most migrating birds fly at relatively low altitudes (i.e. below 90 m 300ft), with only a few dozen species flying higher than 900m 3,000ft.
On 9 December 1967 about 30 whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) were recorded at an altitude of just over 8,230 m 27,000 ft flying in from Iceland to winter at Loch Foyle bordering Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. They were spotted by an airline pilot over the Outer Hebrides, and the height was also confirmed on radar by air traffic control.
Most migrating birds fly at relatively low altitudes (i.e. below 90 m 300ft), with only a few dozen species flying higher than 900m 3,000ft.