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Timing a runner is easy: time when they start and when they cross the finish-line tape. But how do you measure a bird’s flight speed?
A method for measuring flight speed has been found, and a feathered champion has emerged.
In a competition testing speed, endurance, and navigation, a flock of albatrosses from Midway Atoll in the Hawaiian Islands took part. The birds were captured, transported to remote islands in the vast Pacific Ocean, and released. Soon after, the winner’s return to Midway Atoll was recorded. This winged champion flew an astonishing 6,630 kilometers (about 4,115 miles) in just 32 days.
