Philip Neary,aged 9, of Rochester, N.Y. for his question:

How high do birds fly?

Most birds fly as high as they need to ‑ and no higher. Some little fellows never bother to go much higher than the tree‑tops. They can build their nests and find all the food and fun they want without going any higher. Birds of prey fly higher than these small fellows. These bird‑hunters are the hawks and falcons. They need to scout for food. The higher they climb, the further they can see. An eagle is also a high flyer. He can fly up a mile and come down in a powerdive at 125 miles an hour.

A few birds, it seems, climb high in the air just for fun. The little lark builds his neat in flat open country. And he loves to sing high in the air. Maybe you have watched him. He beats his little wings hard and fast. Singing with all his heart, he seems to be climbing an invisible ladder.

Chances are, the little lark climbed no higher than 1,000 or 2,000 feet. As you watch him, you know it is no easy matter for a bird to climb up in the air. The wing feathers spread open on the upbeat, letting through currents of air. They close up and become air tight on the downbeat. Each beat forms a cushion of air under the bird. He climbs and stays aloft on these wing‑made air cushions.

So, a sensible bird does not use his energy to fly higher than he needs. But even the smaller birds can fly high when necessary. Maybe you know the neat, blue tree swallow. He nests in your neighborhood. Some of his relatives nest in Washington and Oregon. All of these tree swallows spend their winters in Florida.

Some of them manage to get themselves over the high western mountains. The golden plover is not much larger than a robin He crosses the mighty Andes of South America on his trips between his summer and winter homes.

Most of the migrating birds dodge the high mountains. Their flyways take them along the coasts or down the Mississippi Valley. They seldom fly higher than 2,000 feat ‑ less than half a mile ‑ above the ground.  This is often sad, for flocks of these little travelers often bump into tall buildings, especially lighthouses at sea.

The real high flyers usually live in high regions. The great condors are said to hold the records for altitude in the bird world, Their home is in the high Andes mountains. Maybe their nests are a mile or more above sea level. They do not have to climb all the way up stairs, like the little lark. For they are a good distance up to begin with.

The condor is said to sail and soar even higher than the peaks of has mountain home. He has been noted at heights of 25,000 feet above sea level. This is over five miles up in the air,