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Small Bird Astounds Scientists With 11,200km Flight

Posted by timothy on from the yeah-but-in-miles-it's-much-shorter dept.

Zeb writes "Scientists are marveling over a small female bar-tailed godwit somewhere in New Zealand who has a world record for non-stop flying — an epic 11,200 kilometers. A major international study into the birds has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B and it offers an explanation as to why the godwits fly so far from Alaska to New Zealand in a single bound. The birds flew non-stop for up to and covered more than 11,200km. The flight path shows the birds did not feed en route and would be unlikely to sleep." The linked Wikipedia entry claims an even longer trip record, of 11,570 kilometers.

9 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. I think the question really is... by Laebshade · · Score: 5, Funny

    African or european?

    1. Re:I think the question really is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Not true. The Limosa lapponica lapponica migrates to Europe and Africa.

    2. Re:I think the question really is... by Kamokazi · · Score: 1, Funny

      It could grip it by the husks!

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    3. Re:I think the question really is... by schon · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's not a question of where it grips it, it's a simple matter of weight-ratio!

  2. It's the guy's fault by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's because the male birds refused to stop and ask directions, of course. Then, when they arrived at their destinations thousands of kilometers off course, they simply claimed it was where they *wanted* to go in the first place. Now, they have to fly back there every year, or admit they were wrong in the first place. Much easier to fly 11,200 kilometers twice a year.

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  3. I must say by rarel · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's the first time I see the Godwit law apply right from the summary.

    Oh wait...

  4. Re:That's ~6959 miles for the metric impaired by gardyloo · · Score: 4, Funny

    THey are so big that you stop imagening how big it is.

    That's right, ladies.

  5. Re:Efficiency by mabhatter654 · · Score: 2, Funny

    those are only in bunnies.

  6. Re:When you're king, you've got to know these thin by PachmanP · · Score: 2, Funny

    *Whoooosh* (btw zippthorne, no one expects the Spanish inquisition)

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