The human body is not made to fly while a bird’s body is designed to fly.It helps them to travel long distances in less time to look for food and shelter. Birds are among the few wild animals which could fly and it is an absolute treat to watch as a bird flies in any direction in the sky.Birds can fly with the help of special organs possessed only by few living organisms which are their wings. Along with wings, lightweight bones and the strong legs of young birds also help them to fly at greater speeds. Their lungs can inhale a large amount of oxygen so that the bird doesn’t get tired while flying long distances. They also eat food with a high energy source. Birds push their bodies in an upward direction from the ground using their strong legs and use their wings to fly.Their lightweight bones and oxygen-filled lungs help them to stay afloat in the sky. They often flap their wings to keep themselves afloat. You must have witnessed flocks of birds flying around in the sky. Many birds like geese move in flocks to increase their chances of getting food sources and to protect themselves against hunters like eagles. For example, many birds like gulls, pelicans, hawks use thermals during the migration or for checking an area for availability of food. Thermals occur around mid-afternoon when the heat from the sun is at its peak.Have you ever wondered why birds fly up and down? Birds often fly up and down to reduce their chances of getting attacked by larger birds. It also helps them to fly easily without much air resistance. There are a number of birds, for example, owls and nighthawks, which fly at night. They have special sensory organs and night vision which helps them find their way and food during the darkness of night. Most birds are diurnal, which means they sleep at night and stay awake during the day. For further education about birds, you may also read about when baby birds leave the nest and when birds migrate?Birds That Can’t FlyThough flying is often associated with birds, there are few birds that cannot fly. These birds are often located in spaces and regions which are relatively free from predators. These are known as flightless birds. They may or may not have wings. If present, their wings may be short and underdeveloped. These birds may not be able to fly, but have other special abilities that help them survive. These abilities may not be possessed by other birds that can fly.Here is a list of eight birds that cannot fly.Duck: the steamer duck cannot swim. They are very heavy and run on water using their wings.Penguin: all the species of penguin cannot fly. They do not have wings. Instead, they have shorthand-like structures in their place. They are much better at swimming; it uses its short legs to move forward.Ostrich: known as the largest birds, ostriches are unable to fly. They can create an extremely fast pace with the help of their strong legs.Weka: it is found in New Zealand. They are flightless birds but are very efficient natural swimmers using their specially-shaped body for pushing them around.Kiwi: kiwis have hidden wings with soft feathers but are unable to fly. They are found in New Zealand. Though they are small, they lay quite big eggs as compared to their size.Cassowary: it is the second most heavy bird in the world after Ostrich. It is found in Australia. They have beautiful feathers and fur. They have heads in the shape of a helmet.Kakapo: it is also known as an ‘owl parrot’. It is the world’s heaviest parrot. They have extremely beautiful feathers.Takahe: these birds live for about 20 years. It is very colorful and found in New Zealand.How high can birds fly?Have you ever seen birds like eagles fly so high in the sky? You must have wondered about the height a bird can fly up to. It varies from bird to bird. Their wing-shape and body structure play an important role in determining the height a bird can fly up to. Some birds are even flightless, which means they cannot fly.Most birds attain a height of about 500 ft (152 m). They remain low during most of the year because they need to search for food. At high altitudes, the oxygen level decreases, and birds need more energy. Many birds live at approximately 13,000 ft (3962 m). This is because they need to protect themselves from big wild animals and wild birds that might want to hunt them. During migration, birds start gaining height and can reach up to 20,000 ft (6096 m). The highest recorded flight any bird ever took was 37,000 ft (11,277.6 m). It was attained by Ruppell’s griffon vulture.How fast do the birds fly?Do you know that birds are considered a sign of life in many cultures? We all have thought about the speed of birds at least once in our lives. Birds fly at different speeds while flying or migrating. It is affected by the shape of their body and wings.Many bird species can fly at the speed of 20-30 mph (32-48 kph). Hummingbirds and geese are the slowest birds. Though the birds may increase their speed while chasing their prey or flying away from a hunter. Birds may not always find food hence their metabolic requirements also affect the change in speed. Birds who can normally fly at high altitudes will lower themselves when there isn’t much energy left.Why do birds fly south for the winter?The movement of bird species to the south during winters is known as migration. Birds migrate from cold places to warm places, from north to south, which is a sign of a change of season.During winters, the insect population decreases along with other food resources. Birds also migrate to the south for more resources as these regions fulfill a bird’s requirement of large insect populations and large space for nesting. Many birds cannot survive in cold climates hence, move to warmer areas. Some birds can easily adapt to low temperatures and survive in less food. Hummingbird is one of them.Can birds fly in the rain?Yes, most avians, popularly called birds, can fly in the rain. Though it is not impossible it can get a little bit difficult.The flying of birds is affected during rain due to the decrease in air pressure. It makes it difficult for birds to move forward and consumes a lot of their energy. They are extremely lucky to have waterproof feathers which protect their skin from raindrops. Birds usually fly in the rain only if they want shelter or go in search of food.Birds take shelter to protect themselves from severe weather conditions and predators.During extremely cold weather, many birds migrate from cold to warm areas. The food sources also decrease during winter so it is compulsory for them to move to warmer areas. During heavy rain, they seek shelter under trees, bushes, grasses, and other areas. Though it is not impossible for them to fly during rain, it can get a little difficult. Most birds move during rain only to search for food. Birds protect themselves from predators by building their nests at higher altitudes or in the hollow of the bark of the tree. They also protect themselves from hunters by hiding in thick bushes and vegetation.How long does it take for baby birds to fly?Baby birds take about two to three weeks to fly on average. Some birds may take 8-10 weeks. Baby birds do not have well-defined feathers and wings. It takes them at least ten days to develop proper feathers. The mother bird then teaches their babies to fly. It can take a few days but ultimately the baby birds leave the nest and fly away.Have you ever seen a bird flying without flapping its wings? You must have noticed that it is necessary for birds to always flap their wings while flying in the sky. This is because birds can glide and soar in the sky too. They only have to flap their wings once in a while to keep flying smoothly in the sky.It is also called soaring. Birds, like eagles. have very huge and sturdy wings. These wings have large surface areas. This enables them to fly for a longer period of time without flapping their wings. They can easily cut through the air and move swiftly from one place to another. An Albatross can travel up to 10,000 mi (16,093 km) without flapping its wings. The record of the longest a bird flew without flapping its wing was a 10-month flight.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do birds fly then why not take a look at when hummingbirds come back, or Umbrellabird facts.
The human body is not made to fly while a bird’s body is designed to fly.
