Highest flying insect

The greatest height reported for migrating butterflies is 5,791 m (19,000 ft) for a small flock of small tortoiseshells (Aglais urticae) seen flying over the Zemu Glacier in the eastern Himalayas. In comparison, 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. They are around 44–50 cm in length.