Bar-tailed godwit, Varanger Peninsula, Finnmark, Norway, Adobe Stock, By Staffan Widstrand
Migrating in Color
PRESENTS
A Remarkable Journey
By Warren T. Planker
Migratory Bird Day
This autumn we join the bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) on a tireless flight from the coast of Alaska to the tropics of Australia and New Zealand. Shedding almost half its weight, upwards of seven- thousand miles of ocean will pass below before this 15” bird puts their feet on solid ground again. Accomplishing this task once is astonishing, making this trip annually, to avoid the extreme arctic winters, only to return come summer for breeding is just about unbelievable!
Bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica), Adobe Stock, By dennisjacobsen
AND THE AWARD GOES TO
If ever there were a trophy for endurance in the animal kingdom, this sandpiper would most definitely hold the title. According to the US Geological Survey, in 2022 a bar-tailed Godwit called B-6, broke the world record for the longest migratory flight spanning 8,425 miles without stopping for food or rest!
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
Bill-to-Tail length: 37-41 cm
(females are larger than males)
Wingspan: 70-80cm
Weight: 190-630g
Speed: 60 km/h
Breeding : May – June
Clutch size: 2-4 eggs
Population: 1,099,000-1,149,000
(global population declining)
IUCN Red List Classification: Near threatened
Migrating Illustrated
By Warren T. Planker
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NatEnvo was formed by BioTriad Environmental, Inc. to provide entertaining and informative media while keeping the wonders of nature in the public eye.
A photographic journey along the migration routes of the world’s most fascinating species with some of the wildest road warriors this side of the universe. In color and in style.
