Re: feathers (and one bird)

On Sat, 11 May 2024 12:21:59 -0500, the following appeared
in talk.origins, posted by DB Cates <cates_db@hotmail.com>:

I just started reading an article in the latest SciAm about feathers,
including their evolution. The first paragraph gave me a WOW moment that
i thought I would share (below). I haven't read much beyond that yet.'
>
"In October 2022 a bird with the code name B6 set a new world record
that few people outside the field of ornithology noticed. Over the
course of 11 days, B6, a young Bar-tailed Godwit, flew from its hatching
ground in Alaska to its wintering ground in Tasmania, covering 8,425
miles without taking a single break. For comparison, there is only one
commercial aircraft that can fly that far nonstop, a Boeing 777 with a
213-foot wingspan and one of the most powerful jet engines in the world.
During its journey, B6—an animal that could perch comfortably on your
shoulder—did not land, did not eat, did not drink and <i>did not stop
flapping</i>, sustaining an average ground speed of 30 miles per hour 24
hours a day as it winged its way to the other end of the world.
>

That's pretty amazing. IIRC Arctic terns make longer
flights, but I'm pretty sure they don't do them nonstop. And
while albatrosses stay in the air for 11 months or so, they
eat "on the wing", and they don't do a lot of flapping.

Thanks!

>

--

Bob C.

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
 the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

- Isaac Asimov