In November 1973 a Ruppell's Griffon Vulture collided with a commercial airliner over Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at 37,000 feet. . . .
. . .. claimed as the highest verified flight of any bird. They are rarely seen above 20,000 feet. (The aircraft landed safely. The bird was removed from an intake.)
In 1967 about 30 whooper swans were spotted at just over 27,000 feet by an airline pilot over Western Isles, UK. The swans were en route Iceland-Ireland.
Source: The Guinness Book of Records.
Last edited by Fantome; 1st October 2005 at 00:29.