Female bar-tailed godwit sets flight distance record Posted by David Henning on 28 September 2021 A bar-tailed Godwit that’s just touched down in New Zealand has made the longest flight by a land bird ever recorded The female, named 4BYWW, travelled without stopping from Alaska to New Zealand, covering 12 200 kilometres in 8 days and 12 hours at an average speed of 59 kilometres per hour. After touching down in Firth of Thames, a bay in New Zealand’s North Island, Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre manager Keith Woodley, who has been monitoring the bird’s migration, told local broadcaster RNZ about the remarkable feat. The bar-tailed godwit species is known for taking this non-stop flight over the Pacific Ocean. A previous record holder, a male godwit dubbed 4BBRW made the same flight exactly a year ago travelling almost the same distance in 11 days. The previous longest recorded non-stop flight by a bird, of 11,680km, was recorded in 2007. Dr Jesse Conklin, from the Global Flyway Network, told the Guardian: “They seem to have an onboard map. “They are flying over open ocean for days and days in the mid-Pacific; there is no land at all. Then they get to New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea where there are quite a few islands and, we might be anthropomorphising, but it really looks like they start spotting land and sort of think: ‘Oh, I need to start veering or I will miss New Zealand’.” Picture: Wikimedia Commons ALSO READ How much do you know about the majestic tawny eagle? Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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