No one imagined that the bird could fly so far without stopping.

They called her B6 and They placed a mark under its tail to track its trajectory. It was a pintail godwit (Limosa lapponica), A bird with a wingspan of about 70 centimeters that is not distinguished by its colorful plumage or exceptional behavior, these waders spend the day catching small invertebrates, insects, molluscs, crustaceans and worms trapped in shallow water.

But at a certain point the biological clock tells them that they will have to go very, very far. And it is here that they make an epic journey of thousands of kilometers. The main character of our story then was a specimen about 4 months old. It took off on October 13, 2022, from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the Bering Sea in Alaska. He took a long journey to the other side of the world.

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A team of ornithologists from the US Geological Survey, the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the US Fish and Wildlife Service closely monitored their wingbeats via satellite signals. They wanted to know how far it would go… They never thought that he could fly so far without stopping.

Follow-up data showed that B6 there was flew non-stop for 11 days, a feat that allowed him to break the world record for non-stop bird migration. In total he accumulated It logged 264 hours of flight time, far longer than most long-haul aircraft, and flew 13,560 kilometers non-stop. from the coast of Alaska to Tasmania. How could he resist such a feat?

The key is in the fat. Like other migratory birds, this marsh species accumulates layer up to 3 centimeters thick of this fatty substance several weeks before departure. When they go on a long journey, more than half their body weight is fat. Except, during the trip it reduces the volume organs that restore their size after reaching their destination.

This energy reserve allows the godwit to travel long distances without having to stop for a snack. This is not the only species that comes up with an unusual strategy. He Indian goose (Anser Indicus)for example, is a waterfowl nesting in Central Asia, but It winters much further, in India and Myanmar. Something that should not cause any inconvenience to a migratory bird. The problem is that To reach his destination, he must overcome a barrier that is almost impossible to overcome: the Himalayas. How will you get it? Expanding the air sacs next to the lungs, thereby maximizing the supply of oxygen, is an ability that has made these birds champion apneas.

Evolution has allowed birds to adapt to circumstances to make long migrations. Humanity has admired these epic journeys for centuries. Today, the latest scientific research is helping us understand them better. We know, for example, that Almost half of existing birds are migratory. but the routes and duration of their travels vary depending on the species and their needs. Some birds, like the spotted godwit, don’t need to stop for a second to rest. Others like the great rabijorcado (Frigate minor), During flight, they doze a little for about 12 seconds. Some travel by day, others by night; Some navigate by the stars, others by the Earth’s magnetic field, but they always find their way. For this reason, International Migratory Bird Day is a special occasion to highlight the importance of conserving natural spaces inhabited by birds, especially since some birds travel thousands of kilometers to reach them.

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