Bar-tailed Godwit Sets World Record With 13,560km Continuous Flight (theguardian.com) 29
A juvenile bar-tailed godwit -- known only by its satellite tag number 234684 -- has flown 13,560 kilometres from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania without stopping, appearing to set a new world record for marathon bird flights. From a report: The five-month-old bird set off from Alaska on 13 October and satellite data appeared to show it did not stop during its marathon flight which took 11 days and one hour. Tagged in Alaska, the bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica, flew at least 13,560km (8,435 miles) before touching down at Ansons Bay in north-east Tasmania.
The previous record was held by an adult male of the same species -- 4BBRW -- that flew 13,000km (8,100 miles) last year, beating his own previous record of 12,000km the year before. According to a Facebook post from the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre in New Zealand, 4BBRW's record had been "blown out of the water by this young upstart." Scientists track the bird using a 5G satellite tag attached to its lower back. According to data from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology's bird tracking project, the migratory bird took a route to the west of Hawaii, continuing over open ocean and flying over the Pacific island nation of Kiribati on 19 October.
The previous record was held by an adult male of the same species -- 4BBRW -- that flew 13,000km (8,100 miles) last year, beating his own previous record of 12,000km the year before. According to a Facebook post from the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre in New Zealand, 4BBRW's record had been "blown out of the water by this young upstart." Scientists track the bird using a 5G satellite tag attached to its lower back. According to data from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology's bird tracking project, the migratory bird took a route to the west of Hawaii, continuing over open ocean and flying over the Pacific island nation of Kiribati on 19 October.
Satellite tracking is a good idea (Score:5, Funny)
Scientists track the bird using a 5G satellite tag attached to its lower back.
The Russians on the other hand tried to do it on the cheap with SMS trackers [bbc.com], and when the birds decided to cross the border, roaming charges and hilarity ensued.
Re: (Score:2)
In Soviet Russia, bird tags you. Hope you brought a kerchief, comrade.
Wait, WHAT? (Score:2)
Can a bird fly for 11 days straight, without food, water OR sleep?
Re:Wait, WHAT? (Score:5, Informative)
Birds switch off half their brain while migrating:
https://www.science.org/conten... [science.org]
They also lose half of their weight apparently:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/b... [cbsnews.com]
Re:Wait, WHAT? (Score:5, Funny)
> Birds switch off half their brain while migrating
Twitter's name makes so much more sense now.
Re: (Score:1)
:) ROFL
Re: (Score:2)
Birds switch off half their brain while migrating:
So do some drivers...
Yup! (Score:5, Informative)
Yup, many species of bird sleep in flight https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com] and we've seen 10 days straight in the past before.
As for water, that was a good question I'd never thought of before which is funny because seeing you ask it here just seems like an obvious question for such long flights. Turns out I guess they're able to go long periods of time without water by burning things like fat stores and possibly even drawing water from organs which is crazy to me https://www.npr.org/2011/09/10... [npr.org]. .
Re: (Score:2)
Can a bird fly for 11 days straight, without food, water OR sleep?
Possibly it was not entirely without food. Insects are part of their diet so maybe they can snatch some while in flight. If so, the insects contain some moisture.
Not all animals have sleep patterns resembling the mammals with which you are familiar. Even some mammals are able to rest one brain hemisphere at a time.
The Pantala flavescens dragonfly is able to fly in excess of 7000 km over open oceans [rutgers.edu]. It probably feeds in flight.
Re: (Score:2)
The godwit is a wading bird, it feeds mostly on critters under the mud. I don't think it's likely that they're also adapted for in-flight insect catching.
Re: (Score:2)
Competition? (Score:3)
How does this compare with a laden (coconut by the husk) swallow?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
African or European?
Re: (Score:3)
Probably European. Alaska would probably be too cold for an African swallow.
Re:Competition? (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
My favourite post of the day.
Fleeing GOP takeover (Score:1, Offtopic)
Fleeing tomorrow's GOP-led coup d'etat, clearly.
How much further? (Score:1)
Clarke & Dawe - Interview with a bar tailed go (Score:2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
That guy can't fool me. He's not a godwit, he's a kiwi.
Re: (Score:2)
He was, however, a Godly wit.
Re: (Score:2)
That guy can't fool me. He's not a godwit, he's a kiwi.
Now that the Covid Crysis is behind most of us it's nice to see New Zealand allowing overseas immigration again.
Using the new Tesla 4680s (Score:1)
Sounds like an insult (Score:2)
>You bar-tailed godwit!