Bar-tailed godwit flies 13,500km from Alaska to Tasmania, breaking world record for non-stop bird fl [View all]

Bar-tailed godwit flies 13,500km from Alaska to Tasmania, breaking world record for non-stop bird flight
By Lachlan Bennett
Posted 4h ago4 hours ago, updated 3h ago

For migratory birds that spend days flying across continents and oceans, a wrong turn can be fatal — but an unexpected turn has earned one young bird a place in history.

The five-month-old bar-tailed godwit smashed the record for long-distance migration following a non-stop, 11-day flight from Alaska to Tasmania.

The 13,560-kilometre journey beat the previous record — also held by a godwit — by around 500 kilometres and was documented by researchers across the world.

Birdlife Tasmania convenor Eric Woehler said the bird probably lost "half or more of its body weight" during "continuous day and night flight".

More:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-27/bar-tailed-godwit-breaking-world-record-longest-nonstop-flight/101583748