What bird can fly for six months straight?


	February 21, 2026

Original photo by Frank McClintock/ Shutterstock

Alpine swifts can remain in flight for 200 days.

You might be good at multitasking, but you probably aren't as good as the Alpine swift. The small, swallow-like bird found in Europe and Africa can remain in flight for 200 days while migrating, during which time they eat insects, groom themselves, and even sleep while airborne. Alpine swifts native to Switzerland will fly all the way to Western Africa in order to stay warm during winter, a distance of thousands of miles (and you thought the trip to Florida was long).

Weighing in at just one-fifth of a pound, Alpine swifts (Tachymarptis melba) are tiny but mighty. They spend almost their entire lives airborne, although they do roost and breed on cliff faces and other high, rocky areas. And they come from a distinguished family: Scientists have discovered that the closely related common swift (Apus apus) can stay airborne for up to 10 months uninterrupted, now considered the world's longest continuous flight. Both birds have evolved to adapt to a life in the sky — swifts' legs tend to be small and clumsy, making the creatures vulnerable to predators while they're on the ground. Once airborne, though, they can fly fast and free.

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		Numbers Don't Lie

Altitude reached by bar-headed geese, the highest-flying migratory birds

5.5 miles

Average litter size of the Alpine swift

Wildebeest who migrate across the Serengeti to follow the rains each year

1.3 million

Miles flown by the Arctic tern in a year, the longest migration of any animal

49,700

Dormice can hibernate for as long as 11 months.

It's no surprise that dormice are prolific hibernators — their name comes from the French for "to sleep," after all. After eating so much throughout the summer that they can double their body weight, the tiny, adorable creatures made famous by Alice in Wonderland make nests on the forest floor to prepare for the nap of all naps. Though they usually hibernate for around six months, they're capable of doing so for as long as 11 — and looking absolutely precious all the while.

Today's edition of Interesting Facts was written by Michael Nordine and edited by Bess Lovejoy.