William Atkins
Thursday, 23 October 2008 23:00
Science -
Biology
Page 1 of 3
A female bar-tailed godwit established a new nonstop, muscle-powered record when it flew from Alaska to New Zealand in eight days and over 7,000 miles. The smart bird didn’t have to lug around luggage, didn’t need a layover at an airport, and didn’t have to contend with crying babies and sick passengers.
The record was established after the researchers monitored the progress of 23 bar-tailed godwits with satellite transmitters during their annual migrations in 2006 and 2007 over the north-south stretch of the Pacific Ocean.
A battery-powered transmitter was implanted surgically into the females (who are larger than the males) and the males received smaller solar-powered transmitter that was attached to their backs.
The birds left as soon as good tail winds were present in late September. They used the tail winds for part of their trip to increase their speeds.
One female flew from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska to New Zealand in eight days—all of the journey nonstop.
The female was named “E7.” It flew 7,257 miles nonstop, which established the new record.
The birds, as a group, averaged no more than 1.5 pounds when they left for their journey. Half of the weight (in the form of fat) was burned off during the trip.
Page two continues with comments from the lead researcher in the study.
