Subject: [Oversea] Godwit continues to rack up air-miles [Print This Page] Author: HKBWS WY Time: 17/09/2007 19:40 Subject: Godwit continues to rack up air-miles
New from BirdLife International
17-09-2007
Godwit continues to rack up air-miles
E7, the Bar-tailed Godwit made famous for setting a record for long-distance non-stop flight, has broken its own record on the return flight from Alaska to New Zealand, satellite tracking studies have confirmed.
Over a seven-month-long period the single bird clocked up over 18,000-miles (29,000 km), flying from New Zealand, to China, then over to Alaska to breed, then back to New Zealand.
The record-breaking last leg of E7's journey involved a non-stop flight over the Pacific of more than eight days and covering a distance of 11,600 kilometres.
By way of comparison with humans, Guinness World Records earlier this year announced the record for running around the world: it took 2,062 days.
“Godwits do not become adults until their 3rd or 4th year and many live beyond 20 years of age. If 18,000 miles is an average annual flight distance, then an adult godwit would fly some 300,000 miles in a lifetime,” said the US Geological Survey in a statement.
2007年3月17日由紐西蘭北島出發，用了8日飛了6300英哩，不停站直飛中國鴨綠江，然後中途停留了5個星期。於5月1日晚，E7向東飛過日本海（Sea of Japan）及北太平洋，然後向東北方向飛向阿拉斯加，最後飛越阿拉斯加半島末端，到達其繁殖地－阿拉斯加西部的Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta，這程飛行也是不停站的飛行，用了5日，飛越4500英哩。
8月29日早上E7開始飛返紐西蘭的旅程，牠向東南方向出發，飛越阿拉斯加半島，橫過廣闊的北太平洋，飛向夏威夷群島。當離開主夏威夷群島（the main Hawaiian Islands）距離不足一日的飛行路程時，E7轉飛西南方，在 Kauai以西125英哩的海洋上空橫過夏威夷群島（Hawaiian Archipelago），飛向斐濟（Fiji）。然後E7再飛過斐濟的東北偏北300英哩的日界線（dateline），直飛過斐濟，然後繼續向南飛往紐西蘭。
