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"...birds who never come down" That's factually incorrect. They nest and sometimes hibernate. They can and usually do spend the majority of their lives in the

"...birds who never come down" That's factually incorrect. They nest and sometimes hibernate. They can and usually do spend the majority of their lives in the air, but they DO come down. Maybe it's too stupid to even bring this up, but they could have added an 'almost never' into that title for the sake of scientific accuracy.

alimw 6y ago
But it sounds as if there is a big chunk of their life cycle (years long) during which they never do come down?
stareatgoats 6y ago
Hardly ever on the ground though. I'm assuming that's what she meant, since she mentions the nesting locations. A swift on the ground is probably a damaged bird. Which is why throwing it in the air (which is sometimes recommended) might not be a good idea. https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-brain/is-it-true-swifts-cant-take-off-from-the-ground https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-brain/is-it-true-swifts-cant...
dguest 6y ago
I assumed that they must come down to nest, of course, but this quote > They mate on the wing. And while young martins and swallows return to their nests after their first flights, young swifts do not. As soon as they tip themselves free of the nest hole, they start flying, and they will not stop flying for two or three years, bathing in rain, feeding on airborne insects, winnowing fast and low to scoop fat mouthfuls of water from lakes and rivers. really made it sound like they don't touch the ground at all for two or three years. I suppose this is possible if they only feed on insects, don't need to land to sleep, and can rest their bodies while flying. EDIT: I found an article which supports the idea that they might stay aloft for months on end (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.014 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.014). They do land, just for very short periods of time and less than 1% of their time outside breeding season.
CyberDildonics 6y ago
Step 1: Say something impossible to get people to click out of curiosity and confusion. Step 2: Back peddle in the article once you have what you wanted.

alimw 6y ago

But it sounds as if there is a big chunk of their life cycle (years long) during which they never do come down?

stareatgoats 6y ago

Hardly ever on the ground though. I'm assuming that's what she meant, since she mentions the nesting locations. A swift on the ground is probably a damaged bird. Which is why throwing it in the air (which is sometimes recommended) might not be a good idea. https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-brain/is-it-true-swifts-cant-take-off-from-the-ground https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-brain/is-it-true-swifts-cant...

dguest 6y ago

I assumed that they must come down to nest, of course, but this quote > They mate on the wing. And while young martins and swallows return to their nests after their first flights, young swifts do not. As soon as they tip themselves free of the nest hole, they start flying, and they will not stop flying for two or three years, bathing in rain, feeding on airborne insects, winnowing fast and low to scoop fat mouthfuls of water from lakes and rivers. really made it sound like they don't touch the ground at all for two or three years. I suppose this is possible if they only feed on insects, don't need to land to sleep, and can rest their bodies while flying. EDIT: I found an article which supports the idea that they might stay aloft for months on end (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.014 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.09.014). They do land, just for very short periods of time and less than 1% of their time outside breeding season.

CyberDildonics 6y ago

Step 1: Say something impossible to get people to click out of curiosity and confusion. Step 2: Back peddle in the article once you have what you wanted.