The Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), a wading bird standing at just 41cm (16in) tall, has once again captured our attention with its incredible migratory feats. These birds nest in the vast tundra of the Arctic, but for their winters, they embark on journeys that take them to temperate areas and even some tropical regions, as far as Australia and New Zealand.
Just a few weeks ago, a young Bar-tailed Godwit etched its name in the record books. This juvenile bird, a mere 5 months old, completed the longest recorded continuous flight by a bird. Tagged in Alaska, it departed on October 13, 2022, and flew non-stop all the way to Ansons Bay in northeastern Tasmania, Australia.
Godwits are familiar visitors to Tasmania, suggesting that many of them might undertake similar epic journeys. However, this was the first time a tagged bird had been tracked flying directly between Alaska and Tasmania.
The incredible distance covered by this young bird is estimated to be at least 13,560 km, which it managed in a grueling 11 days and 1 hour. This translates to an average speed of over 51 kilometers per hour – for a continuous period of 11 days! Even more astonishing is the fact that this remarkable flight would have been completed without the bird eating, drinking, or even sleeping!
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