As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday 16 January 2015

Bar-headed geese: Highest bird migration tracked



15 January 2015 Last updated at 19:02

By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News


A tracking study has revealed the secrets of the world's highest bird migration - the Himalayan flight of the bar-headed goose.

The geese have been recorded at heights of more than 7,000m (23,000ft).

Now, a team led by researchers from Bangor University has tracked the flight and revealed the basis for the birds' "rollercoaster flight" pattern.

The findings, published in Science, show how the birds hug the mountainous terrain, and that this saves energy.

Bar-headed geese have fascinated biologists for decades.

They achieve physiological feats that seem impossible - flying at extreme altitude, where there is less than 10% the oxygen found at sea level.

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