Richard Collins: Elegant godwit sets the record for the longest single flight by a bird

A GPS tag allowed researchers track the 11-day 13.5k journey from Alaska to Tasmania

Bar-tailed godwits stand on the beach at Marion Bay in Australia's Tasmania state. A young bar-tailed godwit appears to have set a non-stop distance record for migratory birds by flying at least 13,560 kilometers (8,435 miles) from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania. Picture: Eric Woehler via AP

A new record has been set for the longest single flight by a bird; a wader travelled, non-stop, from Alaska to Tasmania. The bar-tailed godwit had a GPS tag and a solar energy device, enabling its movements to be tracked by researchers.

On October 13, according to Birdlife Tasmania, the five-month-old bird left southwest Alaska and headed out over the Pacific past the Aleutian Islands and on towards Japan. Veering southwards, it traversed the world’s largest ocean. Having skirted the coast of Australia, the intrepid voyager moved on to Anson’s Bay on the north-eastern tip of Tasmania. The journey took 11 days and nights to complete. According to the Max Planck Institute, the godwit travelled a total of 13,560km.