The Spirit of Tasmania averages 27 knots (or around 50 km/hr) on its Bass Strait crossings. This is a fair bit faster than the tubs that take birders out on pelagic trips. While travelling on the ferry last month, I was fascinated to see how effortlessly the seabirds (albatross, shearwaters, prions) kept up with the ship.
That got me thinking about just how fast seabirds can fly. What are the pelagic equivalents of swifts, how fast can they fly, and how far can they fly at that speed?
Regards, Laurie.
[Note, there are no references to unladen African or European Swallows in the above query].
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