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Bird sets record with 7,257 mile marathon
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by amyjudd | October 22, 2008 at 08:10 am
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A Bar-Tailed Godwit has broken the record for the world's longest known non-stop bird flight. Named only 'E7' she flew 7,257 continuous miles across the Pacific Ocean, which broke the previous record set by a Far-Eastern Curlew, who flew 4,038 nonstop miles. Apparently she didn't even glide.
"Bar-tailed godwits use forward flapping flight and seldom ever glide," lead author Robert Gill, Jr., told Discovery News.
Gill, project leader of the shorebird research program at the U.S. Geological Survey, explained that climbing midair while gliding is costly in terms of energy for birds, so continuous wing-flapping surprisingly saves on "fuel."
He and his team tracked multiple bar-tailed godwits as they flew from their summer breeding grounds in the western Alaska tundra to New Zealand, where they spend the rest of the year. Females were surgically implanted with transmitters, while males, which in this species are smaller and lighter, were affixed with external transmitters.
The migrating birds' flights lasted between five and 9.4 days.
This strange occurance could be interpreted as the fact that mountain ranges, deserts, ice fields and other natural open spaces may not be a hinderance to migration. They might actually provide 'hassle-free' travel routes.
Before starting her journey, 'E7' will have gorged herself on food like tiny clams, however, a flight like this is still incredibly tiring for the bird. It would be equivalent to running for a year.
However, the godwit is in danger as numbers are dropping due to habitat loss. It is not yet known what role climate change plays in their survival.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (24)
at 09:54 on October 22nd, 2008
An amazing journey, which thanks to the use of satellite tagging technology, we can share be stunned by. A beautiful bird that needs our help to protect it from further decline in numbers.
Mark
at 11:48 on October 22nd, 2008
I was lucky enough to see one of these amazing birds at the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee, Victoria, Australia on 25 January 2007. The Treatment Plant is adjacent to Port Phillip Bay and many waders visit the area over our Summer.
Mark Fanthorpe has contributed a photo to this story.
at 11:55 on October 22nd, 2008
The photo in the center is actually a reef heron but there is a bar tailed godwit just to the right. This photo was taken in Senegal, West Africa at the Langue de Barbarie National Park. A wonderful place to visit!
Sara Hollerich has contributed a photo to this story.
at 12:26 on October 22nd, 2008
Actually, prior to E7's flight, the longest recorded nonstop flights were by several Bristle-thighed Curlews, which had been satellite-tracked as part of Bob Gill's project in 2006. They, and another group in 2007, all flew nonstop from Alaska to South Pacific Islands, nonstop trips over 6,000 miles. We knew the godwits went further, but they were more reluctant to demonstrate it for us. You can see more about the project at: http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/shorebirds/pacific_migration.html
at 12:35 on October 22nd, 2008
at 14:05 on October 22nd, 2008
Spotted at the coast of Norway where huge numbers of them can be seen every summer (adult birds) and autumn (young birds migrate later). The bar-tailed godwit seen in Norway breed probably at the tundra in northern Russia.
alfredharam has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:08 on October 22nd, 2008
This was at Brownsea Island, Dorset.
Tim Proffitt-White has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:13 on October 22nd, 2008
Thanks for inviting, more of my bird photos on my blog site. My photo was taken in Bi-Centennial Park in Sydney, Australia.
http://chenghiang.wordpress.com/australian-birds/
LCHxian has contributed a photo to this story.
at 14:45 on October 22nd, 2008
I took this photo in April 2008 at Firth-on-Thames (near the Miranda Shorebird Centre) in New Zealand. There were a couple of godwits there that had transmitters fitted the previous week. We could monitor the birds' movements over the next several weeks on the website.
piedbutcher has contributed a photo to this story.
at 15:44 on October 22nd, 2008
My photo was taken here in southern Japan, in Miyazaki on the island of Kyushu on 15 May 2008.
at 22:00 on October 22nd, 2008
This Bar-Tailed Godwit is from a small colony that returns to Botany Bay in Sydney every year, their numbers in this area have been decreasing in the last few years.
jayspost has contributed a photo to this story.
at 23:21 on October 22nd, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 01:07 on October 23rd, 2008
This bird is one of the western race that breed in the Tundra of Northern Scandinavia and Russia.They stop off to moult and refuel on the harder mud flats and estuaries of Eastern England,and then continue on to overwinter in East and West Africa.
rogersanderson has contributed a photo to this story.
at 04:34 on October 23rd, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 12:10 on October 23rd, 2008
Just outside Nome, Alaska.
t_mccarthey has contributed a photo to this story.
at 15:40 on October 23rd, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 18:33 on October 24th, 2008
The New Zealand connection continues with colour-banded birds being spotted - I saw two on the 11th October 2008 here in the Bay of Plenty, on the East Coast of the North Island, New Zealand.
Paul
at 19:59 on October 24th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 16:21 on October 25th, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 12:16 on October 26th, 2008
Amazing flight!
at 00:21 on October 27th, 2008
Once seen widely, this bird has been now becoming rare gradually in Central Parts of Gujarat, India. Still hopes survive to seem more of them by protecting their habitats.
Kunan Naik has contributed a photo to this story.
at 21:53 on October 27th, 2008
These photos were taken at MIranda on the Firth of Thames, south of Auckland, New Zealand. Its a great place to catch the godwits and other migratory visitors to these shores
south_roger has contributed a photo to this story.
at 07:27 on November 12th, 2008
This photo was taken in Mai Po Nature Reserve in Hong Kong on 26 September 2007. Bar-tailed godwits are passage migrant (April and September) and the mudflats in Mai Po Nature Reserve provide a very important feeding ground for them. They usually occur in small number among the more abundant black-tailed godwit.
whyip28 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 08:37 on November 12th, 2008
Thanks for this story.