Scientists have recently confirmed on that a shy, quiet New Zealand bird with a full stomach and an urge to have sex in a cold climate has achieved the world's longest recorded non-stop flight - thanks to scientific funding to track the possible spread of the H5N1 virus.The bar-tailed godwit, marked as E7, took off from Piako in the Firth of Thames at midnight on March 17. Its route was straight up the Tasman, between Queensland and New Caledonia, then east of Papua New Guinea, west of Guam, and into the mouth of the Yellow Sea, finally coming to a bedraggled halt on the mudflats of Yalu Jiang in North Korea - which adds up to an unbelievable 10,205 km, without stopping and sleeping!
Flying at an average speed of 56 km/hr and at an altitude of 2,000 meters for a week, the group of 4 bar-tailed godwits weigh only about 300 grams each, which was nearly half of its initial weight prior the long distance flight.
The group will refuel on mudflat nosh over the next five weeks before attempting to wing 5,000 km farther towards Alaska on the second leg of their journey.
Maybe it's time for me to approach them to help me with some frequent-flier points?
Link & Image: DayNews
Tags: Godwit | New Zealand | Longest Flight | Bird
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