Friday, August 11, 2017

Bar-headed goose (斑頭雁 Anser indicus)


The bar-headed goose is one of the world's highest-flying birds, having been heard flying across Mount Makalu – the fifth highest mountain on earth at 8,481 m (27,825 ft) – and apparently seen over Mount Everest – 8,848 m (29,029 ft) – although this is a second-hand report with no verification.

This demanding migration has long puzzled physiologists and naturalists: "there must be a good explanation for why the birds fly to the extreme altitudes... particularly since there are passes through the Himalaya at lower altitudes, and which are used by other migrating bird species."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-headed_goose

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4346704/