Journey North Maps Monarch Migration News Monarch Home Page Report Your Sightings! Monarch Butterfly Resources Monarch Home Page Journey North Home Journey North for Kids

How High Do Monarchs Fly?
Let's Compare!

How high do migrating butterflies fly? Higher than skyscrapers, mountains, jets, and hot air balloons? Below are the heights of some familiar things. Make a Model! Add heights of other familiar things, then make a model — to scale — on a high wall, from earth to sky. (You can also practice converting from English to Metric units.)

English Units

Metric
Units

Altitudes of Some Familiar Things
36,000 ft   Passenger jet
cruising altitude (Can you see the jet?)
29,028 ft   Highest mountain in the world
Mt. Everest
11,000 ft   Highest monarch butterfly spotted
Seen during fall migration by glider pilot (may fly higher)
10,560 ft   Two miles
high
10,000 ft   Monarch butterfly sanctuaries in Mexico
elevation
5,280 ft   One mile
high
2-4,000 ft   Songbird migration
Most occurs at these altitudes.
2,000 ft  

Highest hot air balloon
Average maximum altitude of hot air balloon flight.

1,483 ft   World’s tallest building
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5-600 ft   Monarchs disappear (viewing with binoculars)
This is estimate; depends on binocular magnification, conditions.
500 ft   Most birds fly below this level
except during migration
378.1 ft   Tallest living tree
2-300 ft   Monarchs disappear (viewing with naked eye)
(This is estimate; depends on conditions, numbers of monarchs, viewers)
151 ft   Height of the Statue of Liberty


Kids Orientation Registration Search
Annenberg Media Home Page Copyright 1997-2008 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Contact us. Journey North Home Page