Lorie Smeal, age 13, of Morrisdale, Pa., for her question:

HOW FAST DO BIRDS FLY?

How right can a brid's name be? The common swifts of Europe and Asia, which usually fly from between 60 and 70 miles per hour, can fly for short periods of time at more than 100 miles an hour. Now that's swift!

Another very fast bird is the canvas back duck. This swifty has been clocked at more than 70 miles an hour.

On the ground, the fastest runner is the ostrich. This bird can run 35 miles an hour, and can take it up to 50 miles an hour for short distances.

The greatest traveler is the Arctic tern who migrates farther than any other bird. Their yearly flights, between breeding grounds in the Arctic and wintering grounds in the Antarctic cover about 11,000 miles a each way.