Monty python what kind of swallow

First, it's suggested that a typical European swallow weighs 5 ounces and must beat its wings 43 times per second in order to maintain airspeed velocity. This is given as evidence that the bird could not, in fact, carry a 1-pound coconut. At least not without a partner and a strand of creeper held beneath the dorsal guiding feather. Firstly, the average European swallow is not actually 5 ounces.

In fact, they weigh less than an ounce , which surely makes a difference in how much weight they are capable of carrying while on the wing, especially when it comes to the question of couriering coconuts. Additionally, a European swallow need not flap its wings 43 times per second in order to maintain airspeed. It's more like 12, or fewer, depending on the species. So far we've determined Arthur's opponent to have overestimated both the mass of the bird in question and the number of wing flaps per second.

To further diminish the case for coconut-carrying swallows, the average coconut is approximately 1-and-a-half pounds, approximately 34 times heavier than a European swallow. There is little information available on the carrying capacity of swallows, either African or European. But given the weight disparities involved, we can safely assume that even a team of swallows, utilizing some sort of makeshift litter devised of creeper vines woven together, would still be incapable of transporting a coconut over even short distances.

Assuming, of course, that was something a group of swallows wanted to do. There are, however, birds capable of carrying something as heavy, or heavier than a coconut. Namely, some of the larger raptors, like eagles.

Again, there is some dispute among experts as to the maximum carrying capacity of eagles in flight. Clearly, we need to pump some funding into bird weight-lifting research. It's common for these predatory birds to capture and carry prey weighing in at 1 to 2 pounds, though there have been instances of carrying prey upward of 5 or 6 pounds over distances of at least a mile. Suffice it to say, a single eagle could pretty easily carry a coconut without breaking too much of a sweat only an expression, birds don't actually sweat , and a couple of eagles with some vine and a little gumption could carry a whole group of coconuts.

Fun fact: A group of eagles is called a convocation. A group of coconuts is called Bonus fact: The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is roughly Put that in your gee-whiz file in case you ever find yourself on the Bridge of Death.

It's clear that Arthur's heart isn't in the fight. In actuality, he wants the Black Knight to join him on his quest. When the knight refuses and makes Arthur sad , Arthur hopes only to pass in peace, but it isn't to be.

An epic duel ensues. And the Black Knight is shortly relieved of each of his limbs. What's curious is the Black Knight doesn't seem entirely bothered by the injuries, claiming them to be mere flesh wounds and announcing to all who will hear that he has, in fact, had worse. This definition applies best to planes. When dealing with animals is a little different. To find the airspeed velocity of a bird, one must calculate the Strouhal number. The Strouhal number is usually used in the calculation of speed of fish in water.

In that case, it is the ratio of frequency of the tail moving and the forward speed of the animal. A man named Graham K. Taylor discovered the same principle can be applied to birds and other animals that can fly. The frequency is the number of times the bird beats its wings a second and the amplitude is the distance the wing travels in one beat. To get an approximate airspeed, Taylor said to invert the midpoint Strouhal number which is 0.

This means that the airspeed about 3 times the product of the frequency and the amplitude. There is a very detailed blog on style. But, the real question is not about swallows at all. King Arthur in the movie had two coconut shells that he banged together to simulate the sound of a horse galloping.

No one seems to know where he got them. 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. However, there may be a way that we can make the math work here. So then, the question becomes, can a gram swallow carry a 3. A gram swallow carrying a coconut just one-fifth of its weight seems more probable than a gram swallow carrying a coconut twice its weight.

However, a lot would have to line up to make this unlikely scenario happen. As extremely unlikely as it is, however, the story told in Monty Python and the Holy Grail may just be possible. Despite the incredible improbability of the scenario, it would theoretically be possible for a large European swallow to somehow come across an incredibly small coconut and carry it to the destination where King Arthur would have found it.

As it turns out, Monty Python has a little bit of truth in it, but only just barely. Chances are there are a few other angles to this problem as well. If anyone out there who lives in Europe wants to find a swallow and measure its airspeed with absolute certainty, we could probably answer the original question more accurately. Even better, if anyone out there wants to train a swallow to carry a small coconut, you likely would have a viral video on your hands. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

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