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In October 2022, a bar-tailed godwit only a few months old flew non-stop from Alaska to Tasmania: 13,560 km in 11 days, without once landing to eat, drink or rest.

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The story behind the card

The bird, a juvenile known as B6 (tag number 234684), had hatched in Alaska that summer. Researchers had fitted it with a small solar-powered satellite tag, so every stage of the flight was recorded. It set off on 13 October 2022 and came down in north-east Tasmania 11 days and 1 hour later. Guinness World Records lists the 13,560 km journey as the longest non-stop flight recorded for any bird. Godwits cannot rest on the sea, so a crossing like this has to be made in one go. Before leaving, they store more fat for their size than any other migrating bird studied so far, and their digestive organs shrink, which saves weight for the flight.

Türkçe oku
Ekim 2022'de daha birkaç aylık bir kıyı çamurçulluğu, Alaska'dan Tazmanya'ya hiç mola vermeden uçtu. 13.560 kilometrelik yolu 11 günde, yemek, su ya da dinlenmek için bir kez bile konmadan tamamladı.

B6 adıyla bilinen bu genç kuş (etiket numarası 234684), o yaz Alaska'da yumurtadan çıkmıştı. Araştırmacılar ona güneş enerjisiyle çalışan küçük bir uydu vericisi takmıştı; bu sayede uçuşun her aşaması kaydedildi. Kuş 13 Ekim 2022'de yola çıktı ve 11 gün 1 saat sonra Tazmanya'nın kuzeydoğusuna indi. Guinness Dünya Rekorları, 13.560 kilometrelik bu yolculuğu bir kuşun yaptığı en uzun kesintisiz uçuş olarak kaydetti. Kıyı çamurçullukları deniz üstünde dinlenemez; bu yüzden böyle bir geçişi tek seferde bitirmek zorundadır. Yola çıkmadan önce, bugüne kadar incelenen bütün göçmen kuşlardan daha fazla yağ depolarlar. Sindirim organları da küçülür ve kuş uçuş için hafifler.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Bar-tailed godwit
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