Most commercial airplanes cruise at 30,000 to 40,000 feet—too high for most birds, which is why … [+]
Hawks, while they may not win any beauty contests, are incredibly imposing creatures that play a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. With hooked beaks designed for tearing flesh, broad wings built for flight, and keen eyesight capable of spotting a meal from miles away, these birds are perfectly adapted to their role as the scavenging crew. nature.
Among the 23 known species of vulture worldwide, the one that stands out for its extraordinary flying abilities is the Rüppell’s vulture. Native to the Sahel region of Africa, this magnificent bird of prey holds the record for the highest altitude ever recorded—37,000 feet above sea level.
However, as the record holder tragically discovered, this altitude is so extreme that it falls within the cruising limits of commercial aircraft.
Let’s put this height in context
Most birds fly at altitudes of 500 to 2,000 feet above sea level. Even migratory birds, which sometimes fly higher to avoid obstacles or catch favorable winds, usually stay at a distance of 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Only a few species, such as some migrating geese, can reach altitudes of 20,000 to 25,000 feet, still significantly lower than the height reached by Rüppell’s vulture.
An altitude of 37,000 feet is absolutely astonishing, considering that it is one-tenth of the way to the Kármán Line, commonly considered the edge of space, which lies 62 miles above Earth’s sea level.
It is impressive that a bird is able to reach a height of 11 km above the Earth’s sea level using only … [+]
Spoiler alert: The most recorded flyer did not survive his record flight
On November 29, 1973, the pilots of an Air Ivory Coast flight—a commercial airline operating between Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Paris, France—were cruising smoothly over the skies of West Africa. The flight was proceeding as expected when a loud noise suddenly resonated through the plane.
Inside the plane, the crew was puzzled and curious, as bird strikes usually occur during takeoff or landing, not at cruising altitude.
After landing, the ground crew inspected the aircraft, particularly the right engine, which had sustained significant damage. Surprisingly, they found the remains of a bird lodged inside the engine components. The height at which the impact occurred made the discovery even more confusing.
Experts quickly identified the bird as a Rüppell’s vulture, thanks to its distinctive plumage and size – both unmistakable even in the condition it was found.
Ruppell’s vulture plumage is a mixture of light and dark brown, with the feathers on its wings … [+]
Was this unfortunate vulture a freak of his own kind, or can all reach this height?
While the record-setting Rüppell’s vulture may seem like an oddity, the truth is that these birds are designed for high-altitude flight.
Rüppell’s hawks have a massive wingspan of about 8 feet, which allows them to fly on thermal currents, which is a fancy way of saying that they ride the invisible columns of warm air that rise from the ground, glide effortlessly for hours. This takes them to incredible heights as they search for food over great distances.
They also have an extremely efficient respiratory system, allowing them to extract oxygen from thin air at high altitudes – a feature that gives them a significant advantage over other birds. Their hemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen, meaning they can maintain physical function and stay alert even in the lowest levels of oxygen present at such altitudes, according to a 2008 review led by a biologist at the University of Nebraska and published in High Altitude Medicine and Biology.
This is an essential adaptation that allows these vultures to cover large territories while conserving energy.
So while not every Rüppell’s vulture can reach the dizzying heights of 37,000 feet, they all have the incredible potential to soar higher than any other bird on the planet.
Their preference for high altitudes also provides a strategic advantage—it helps them avoid competition with scavengers and other predators, as well as human disturbance in the field.
How does such a well-designed bird find itself in ‘critically endangered’ territory?
Despite their remarkable adaptations and abilities, Rüppell’s vultures are currently listed as critically endangered—not because they’ve logged frequent miles alongside commercial aircraft, but because of a host of other human-related threats. .
Habitat loss, poisoning (often from carcasses laced with pesticides or veterinary drugs such as diclofenac) and collisions with power lines are among the main factors contributing to their decline.
Furthermore, the illegal trade in vulture parts for medicine and traditional rituals in some African regions has significantly affected their populations. These threats, combined with their slow reproduction rate, make it extremely difficult to recover their numbers once they are depleted.
Ultimately, it’s not the incredible heights they reach that pose the greatest danger to Rüppell’s vultures, but the threats they face here on the ground – a stark reminder that even the most adapted creatures can struggle to survive in a rapidly changing world.
