and what's a mile again? From your article, (which uses metric), > One of the great snipes stayed above 8,000 meters (4.97 miles) for more than five hours one

and what's a mile again? From your article, (which uses metric), > One of the great snipes stayed above 8,000 meters (4.97 miles) for more than five hours one day, rising to a maximum altitude of around 8,700 meters (5.41 miles). This is the highest altitude ever recorded for an identified migratory bird. At 8km high it's easier to believe that they'd see ~660km away (410mi), although I don't know if weather, pollution or some distortions get in the way.