What Are Air Currents And How Do Birds Ride On Them?

To illustrate what these currents are, consider this: whenever you put your hand above something hot, you can feel the warm air rising. Similarly, when the sun heats the earth, some areas heat up more than others, depending on the nature of the surface. This causes the air above the surfaces to rise, producing a strong current of air, even though on the ground everything may appear quite still. These updrafts, called "thermals," are doughnut-shaped bubbles of hot air and have been known to rise to heights of 10,000 feet (3 kilometers).
Another way an updraft is produced is when the wind strikes a hill or a mountain. The wind is forced up the mountainside, and this air movement continues past the mountaintop.
When a bird finds an updraft that is rising at a faster rate than the bird would be descending, it can "ride" on it, usually circling as it goes, to stay within the rising air. Like a sail, the outstretched wings catch the updraft. Thus birds can gain altitude with virtually no effort. This type of flight is called "soaring."

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