Migratory bird breaks longest non-stop flight record: How a ‘bar-tailed godwit’ flew 13,560 km for 11 days

A migratory bird broke world record by flying 13,560 kilometres continuously across the Pacific for 11 days without landing even once. This peculiar behaviour of bar-tailed godwit was discovered after scientists tracked the remarkable migration using satellite transmitters attached to the birds.

The shorebird weighing only a few hundred grams, makes non-stop flight without stopping to eat, drink or rest on land even once. The research led by migration scientists Phil Battley and Jesse Conklin documented the record-breaking flight during the September 2020 migration season.

Making space for more fat reserves to be stored, this bird takes on this extreme journey by shrinking parts of its digestive system. The size of its intestines and liver also goes down in size. This makes the bird rely on its own gut to make room for fat reserves that powers its wings for nearly two weeks straight.

Furthermore, the brain of bar-tailed godwit doesn’t fully sleep during this long journey. According to the research, half of the brain remains active while the other half rests during the 11-day long flight. The brain alternates in shifts mid-flight at altitude over the open Pacific.

The godwit navigates with magnetic field sensitivity as it is simultaneously unconscious during the flight. These physiological changes help bar-tailed godwit in turning into highly efficient long-distance flyers. One of the longest such journeys recorded till date is the Alaska-to-Australia migration.