Albatrosses can glide for hours over the ocean without flapping their wings.

The longer version

Dynamic soaring extracts energy from the wind itself. Over the sea, wind speed increases with height, so an albatross climbs into faster air, turns downwind, descends into slower air and turns back, gaining momentum each cycle without a wingbeat. Its long, narrow, locked wings give the high lift-to-drag ratio the trick needs.

A shoulder tendon locks the wing open so the bird holds it out with almost no muscle effort. Albatrosses also ride the slope lift off wave fronts and can keep going for hours, sleeping in short bursts on the wing. The cost is that they need wind, and in flat calm they sit on the water and wait.

Where this entry sits

Here you will find feathered trivia about flight, migration, nests, eggs, and the songs birds sing. Expect short surprising facts on penguins, owls, hummingbirds, and other familiar birds from gardens, forests, wetlands, and distant coastlines. The full list sits on the Birds page, where every entry is listed in order.