The dovekie, also known as the little auk, is a small seabird in the auk family. Despite its small size, the dovekie is an excellent flyer and spends much of its life in flight. In this article, we will explore the dovekie’s flying abilities and discuss how its anatomy and behavior allow it to be such a skilled avian acrobat.
The dovekie’s wingspan and wing shape enable flight
The dovekie has a wingspan of around 20-24 inches (51-61 cm). Its wings are small but powerful, with a pointed shape that reduces drag and allows the bird to fly swiftly. The dovekie’s wingbeats are rapid, up to 400 per minute, enabling it to stay aloft for long periods in search of food.
The dovekie’s wings have evolved for two main purposes: swift, agile flight for catching fish and other prey, and enduring flight to cover huge distances during migration. When migrating, dovekies can fly nonstop for up to 72 hours at a time. Their pointed wings reduce drag, helping maximize flight range.
Streamlined body built for speed
In addition to its wing shape, the dovekie has an oval, streamlined body that cuts through the air with minimal resistance. Its body is plump but compact, with a short neck and tail. Unlike some seabirds, the dovekie does not have long, dangling legs; its legs are set far back on its body to reduce drag.
The dovekie’s dense, water-resistant plumage also helps it fly efficiently. The feathers cover the entire body and provide an aerodynamic surface. The oil from the dovekie’s preen gland helps coat and maintain feather structure.
Powerful flight muscles
The dovekie has large, powerful flight muscles (pectoral muscles) that make up around 20% of its body weight. These muscles allow the bird to generate the enormous power output required for flap-propelled flight. Some studies estimate that the dovekie’s flight muscles may produce up to 400 watts of mechanical power – among the highest power outputs measured for flying birds.
The dovekie’s stout, reinforced keel (breastbone) provides an anchor for its large flight muscles. Its short, broad wings can deliver high numbers of wingbeats thanks to the flight muscle strength.
Lightweight skeleton
Although its flight muscles are bulky, the dovekie has an extremely lightweight skeleton with thin-walled, pneumatic (air-filled) bones. This skeletal lightness enables the dovekie to minimize its overall body mass and maximize power output from its muscles.
The dovekie’s bones are filled with air sacs and hollow spaces. This bone construction helps prevent them from becoming too heavy while still remaining strong enough for the demands of flight. The lighter skeleton offsets some of the weight of the large flight muscles.
High metabolism
Powering flight requires massive amounts of energy. The dovekie has a metabolic rate twice as high as similar-sized land birds. This enables it to generate sufficient energy to support its muscle activity during prolonged flights.
The dovekie’s high metabolism is fueled by the fatty fish, like herring and capelin, that make up its diet. It must consume around half its body mass in fish each day. This nourishment gives it the fat stores and energy to fly extensive distances.
Instinctive flying ability
The dovekie can fly with agility and speed as soon as it fledges (leaves the nest). Fledgling dovekies make their first flights at around 21-25 days old. They do not need to practice flying; the ability comes innately.
Even when reared in captivity away from other dovekies, fledglings are able to fly with ease on their first attempts. This indicates the dovekie’s aerial skills are strongly imprinted in its genetic makeup, evolved over millennia of flying to survive.
Behavioral adaptations
The dovekie displays several behavioral adaptations that facilitate its powerful flight:
- Flocking – Dovekies fly together in huge flocks numbering hundreds of thousands of birds. Flocking behavior reduces energy expenditure by allowing individuals to draft off the wake produced by birds in front of them.
- V formation – Dovekie flocks often arrange into a V formation that further aids drafting and energy savings during migration.
- Dynamic soaring – Dovekies are masters at dynamic soaring, using updrafts over waves to gain speed and elevation without flapping.
- Porpoising – Dovekies can engage in porpoising behavior, dipping alternately under and over the water surface to take advantage of ground effect.
These behaviors allow dovekies to optimize their flight performance and fly enormous distances with less effort.
High agility and maneuverability
In addition to sustained flight, dovekies are highly agile and maneuverable in the air. Their pointed wings provide lift and allow tight turning. Dovekies can swiftly change direction, dive, and flutter in pursuit of prey. They use this agility to catch fish and other food on the wing.
Dovekies that nest on cliffsides have incredible flying skills to navigate to and from their extremely steep and narrow nest sites. Their small size and aerial agility lets them avoid obstacles and access difficult locations.
Built for oceanic flight
As seabirds, dovekies are exquisitely adapted for flight over ocean waters. Their wings, feathers, and nostrils are designed to shed water efficiently. Their salt gland removes excess salt from their bodies acquired from drinking seawater.
Dovekies even have special blood vessels in their nasal passages that function as countercurrent heat exchangers. This helps cool blood going to the brain and eyes, preventing overheating during long oceanic flights under the sun.
Conclusion
In summary, the dovekie is a remarkably skillful flyer thanks to its wing shape, streamlined body, powerful muscles, lightweight skeleton, high metabolism, innate flying ability, flocking behavior, ocean adaptations, and superior agility.
Every aspect of the dovekie’s anatomy and behavior has evolved to make it a swift, enduring, and highly maneuverable flier. This allows the diminutive bird to migrate huge distances between nesting and wintering areas and earn its living catching fast-swimming prey. So despite its tiny size, the answer is definitively yes – the dovekie can fly, and fly very well!
