All hail the Bar-tailed Godwit!
This bird is a champion flyer and once again an individual has broken the world record for the longest continual flight.
This week a juvenile godwit just 5 months old landed in Ansons Bay in northeast Tasmania. It had been tagged in Alaska and departed there on October 13, 2022 before flying non-stop to Tasmania.
Godwits are regular visitors to Tasmania so it’s likely that many undertake a similar flight but it's the first time a tagged bird has flown between Alaska and Tasmania.
This bird flew a minimum of 13,560 km in 11 days 1 hour, that’s an average of over 51kmh continually for those 11 days. And don’t forgot there will be no eating, drinking or sleeping during that journey!
Simply unbelievable!
