Exercise performance of birds

Birds are excellent endurance athletes. Not only do many birds undertake long migratory flights, but many do so under extreme environmental conditions: excessive heat, extreme cold, and the hypoxic conditions of high altitude. We are just now starting to understand the physiological adaptations these animals possess for surviving and thriving in these environments. Still, relatively few studies have actually been performed on exercising birds, particularly on birds flying under the conditions mentioned here. Furthermore, not all birds are capable of sustained exercise in hypoxia, heat, and cold. More work is needed to increase our understanding of the differences in the physiological systems that allow some birds to be better able to exercise under such conditions.