Golden eagles get better at flying over time, say Swiss researchers

Golden eagles perfect their flight as they age and learn to make better use of air currents, says a new study co-produced by Swiss researchers. In the space of three years, their living space is multiplied by more than 2,000. Young eagles must continue to refine even innate behaviors throughout their lives, writes the Swiss Ornithological Institute in a press release published on Monday. The study was published in the specialist journal eLife. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Golden eagles fly by thermals: they use updrafts to cover long distances with relatively little energy. In the study, the researchers showed that on their first flights after leaving the parental nest, the birds confine themselves to the vicinity of mountain ridges. + A third of Swiss bird species are endangered Here, thermal conditions are quite predictable: the wind is deflected upwards and the air rises. As they grow older, golden eagles venture into flatter and flatter regions ...