Bird experts - Swifts

thepharcyde · 11 Jun 2009 at 20:33

Just watching Springwatch. Fact "Newly fledged Swifts drop out of the nest and some do not land for the next 4 years as they go north to south and back"

Q. How the **** do they sleep?!?

Amnesia · 11 Jun 2009 at 20:35

maybe they hitchhike on each others back and have a snooze

Ziggy · 11 Jun 2009 at 20:37

They must have autopilot and in-flight refuelling.

pumaz · 11 Jun 2009 at 21:04

Sorry I only specialise in t i t s!

Feathered variety obviously

Werewolf · 11 Jun 2009 at 21:08

IIRC a lot of animals have an ability to "half sleep", where only part of the brain sleeps as such (dolphins, wales etc for example would probably have trouble if they went into a deep sleep for hours

), it's not only swifts that'll do this in the bird world, many of the sea going birds will also do it.

A.N.Other · 11 Jun 2009 at 21:22

As above, half the brain sleeps at a time.

thepharcyde · 11 Jun 2009 at 22:21

I need to practice this at work

LukeTW · 11 Jun 2009 at 22:46

thepharcyde said:
I need to practice this at work

Hahaa !