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How does an albatross fly for a week without flapping its wings?

Stand up and spread your arms. Imagine your arms are twice as long. And now they're even longer—about 11 feet from tip to tip. That's the wingspan of an albatross! The largest flying bird in the ocean.

The albatross is nature's true aviator. It lives over the open ocean and can stay aloft for weeks! Researchers with GPS collars have found that one albatross flew 15,000 kilometers in 46 days. That's like circling half the globe!

But the most amazing thing is how it does it. The albatross hardly flaps its wings. It just… glides. Scientists have measured that in 6 days of flight, the albatross makes only a few flaps. The rest of the time is pure gliding. How is this possible?

The secret is in the wind over the ocean. The albatross has found a trick called «dynamic planning.» The wind is weaker near the surface of the water, and stronger above. The bird dives down, picks up speed, then rises sharply, catches a strong wind — and slides down again. Like a swing! It uses less energy than when it just sits on the water.

Another interesting thing: the albatross sleeps in flight! It «turns off» one half of its brain, while the other monitors the course. After a few minutes, they switch.

Albatrosses live up to 60 years (one bird named Wisdom is still laying eggs at 73!), and they mate for life, like swans. They return to the same island, to the same partner, every 2 years.

Engineers designed gliders by looking specifically at the albatross. The little fluffy bird with big wings is a real teacher!