As per the news reports in October 2020, a male bar-tailed godwit bird has set a world record by flying non-stop for more than 12,000 km in 11 days from Alaska to New Zealand, which was tracked through a 5 gm satellite tag harnessed on its lower back, compared to the previous longest recorded non-stop flight of 11,680 km by a bird in 2007. Named 4BBRW in reference to the blue, blue, red and white rings fitted on its legs, the bird began its journey on September 16 and arrived in a bay near Auckland in 11 days, at a speed of up to 88 k/h. The bird weighs between 190g and 400g, and is said to have the aerodynamic build of a ‘jet fighter.’
The satellite recorded a point-to-point flight of 12,854 km. However, scientists are of the view that once rounding errors are taken note of, the journey will have been around 12,200 km taking a total flight time of 224 hours.
As per Dr Jesse Conklin from Global Flyway Network, a consortium of scientists studying epic migratory journeys, these birds seem to have some capability of knowing where they are on the globe. They seem to have an on-board map, because they fly over open ocean for days and days in the mid-Pacific with no land at all. Thereafter, they get to New Caledonia and PNG, home to quite a few islands.
Facts about the Bird
The Bar-tailed godwit (Barwit), known as Kuaka, is a large wading bird, whose migration includes the longest known, non-stop flight of any bird, and also the longest journey without pause. Adult birds have blue-grey legs and a slightly upturned bi-coloured bill, pink at the base and black towards the tip. With mottled grey back, its neck, breast, and belly are unbroken brick-red in breeding plumage but off-white in winter. Its present population size is 1.1 million and a life span of 30 years. Its length is 37-41cm with a wingspan of 70-80cm. It belongs to the species Limosa lapponica.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times, animalia.bio