The bar-tailed godwit set the record for the longest nonstop bird flight by flying from Alaska to New Zealand.
In 2022, a satellite-tagged juvenile bar-tailed godwit flew about 13,560 kilometres from Alaska to Tasmania without stopping. The journey lasted roughly 11 days and crossed the Pacific Ocean. The bird completed the flight using stored body fat and highly efficient flight adaptations.
Bar-tailed godwits breed in Arctic regions, including Alaska and Siberia, then migrate south to coastal areas of Australia and New Zealand. Their long bills help them probe mudflats for worms and other invertebrates.
The record applies to a measured individual flight, not necessarily the same route used by every bird. Related shorebirds, including red knots and whimbrels, also make exceptionally long migrations, but they typically stop to refuel.