High Altitude - Ducks usually migrate at an altitude of 200 to 4,000 feet but are capable of reaching much greater heights. A jet plane over Nevada struck a mallard at an altitude of 21,000 feet—the highest documented flight by North American waterfowl. And a 1954 climbing expedition to Mount Everest found a pintail skeleton at an elevation of 16,400 feet.
Waterfowl on the Move
The
bar-headed goose can reach 8,800 metres (29,000 feet)
The
common crane has been recorded flying across the
Himalayas at heights up to 10,000 metres (33,000 feet)
Rüppell's vulture has been found at heights up to 11,300 metres (37,000 feet)
A flock of
whooper swans was recorded by radar flying at 8,200 metres (27,000 feet)
The list goes on....
List of birds by flight heights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia