Most birds use their natural flight capability to move about, migrate, escape predators and attack prey; but some, at least for part of their day, appear to indulge in the pure joy of flight.
Eagles, vultures and buteos are perhaps the most notable participants, soaring above the landscape for hours at a time with no apparent purpose other than surfing the wind. Others include various gulls, petrels, white pelicans and kites; one might also give a nod to frigatebirds and albatrosses but their physical limitations on land keep them aloft.
Of course, hardcore evolutionary biologists will attribute this nonfuntional activity to the natural instinct to exercise flight muscles but most of us know whimsical behavior when we see it. After all, humans have envied this avian capability throughout our history and have attempted to mimic their aerial freedom with parachutes, gliders and a wide variety of aircraft. Alas, we will never fully experience the joy of flight that our feathered neighbors have inherited.
