Although a definitive answer would of course require further measurements, published species-wide averages of wing length and body mass, initial Strouhal estimates based on those averages and cross-species comparisons, the Lund wind tunnel study of birds flying at a range of speeds, and revised Strouhal numbers based on that study all lead me to estimate that the average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second , or 24 miles an hour. Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow.
By Jonathan Corum Nov. What do you mean, an African or European Swallow? To begin with, I needed basic kinematic data on African and European swallow species. In order to maintain airspeed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right? Downy Woodpecker 27 g 14 Hz 29 cm Budgerigar 34 g 14 Hz 15 cm Note that even the tiny Zebra Finch flaps its wings no more than 27 times a second while cruising.
Downy Woodpecker 31 cm 14 Hz 29 cm European Starling 35 cm 14 Hz 26 cm By averaging all 6 values, we can estimate that an average European Swallow flies at cruising speed with a frequency of roughly 15 beats per second, and an amplitude of roughly 22 cm. Add a Video. Add an image. Tags monty python holy grail internet joke siri nerd humor african or european wolfram alpha technical trivial carrying a coconut eric idle john cleese. View More Editors. Add a Comment.
View More Comments. The latest from KYM. Video RIP Car 3. Photo Plotting The Trashpocalypse. Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next. We see that you're using an ad-blocker! So, the real question is how did the coconut get to medieval England? Is it possible that a swallow carried it over?
However, the swallow would have a very hard time even carrying the smallest of coconuts. Now, the legend of King Arthur takes place in about the 12th century and evidence suggests coconuts did not get to England until the 16th century as I just stated.
So, there is a very distinct possibility that the whole thing is just a mistake on the part the writers of Monty Python. Visit Saratoga. Enter Giveaways Advertise. Note: Saratoga. Home » Uncategorized » What is the average air speed velocity of a laden swallow? Previous Article Why are my Hands Numb? This gram swallow was found to flap its wings about 12 times every second, with an amplitude of 20 cm each time. Strike one for Monty Python. Though, I guess we can give them a little bit of credit here, considering that the swallow being observed in this research wasn't exactly what King Arthur was talking about.
When we take the number of beats per second 12 and multiply it by the distance per beat. Translating this into miles per hour, we see that the airspeed velocity of a European swallow is This number lines up with the measured velocities of real birds as well, which means we're on the right track for the mathematics.
So, answering the main question here, the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is something like But, what if the swallow was laden by, say, carrying a coconut to Europe? Would it even then be possible for a swallow weighing 20 grams to pick up a coconut and transport it to Europe? Assuming a large coconut, as seen in the video, this is a fairly absurd proposition. There's no way that a bird as small as a swallow could carry a coconut that was more than double its weight.
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