Six Months of Constant Flying

Six Alpine Swifts, each of which weigh less than a quarter of a pound, were fitted with a tiny data tracker and then released to fly off to Africa.  What the scientists discovered was pretty amazing: the Swifts spent their entire time in Africa flying -- six solid months aloft.

The miniature locators on the birds tracked their position every four minutes for more than 200 straight days, and every data point showed the birds actively flying or at least gliding in the air.

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