Bar-tailed godwit sets new world flight record

A gangly wading bird has set a new world record for the longest known non-stop flight made by any bird.

The young bar-tailed godwit flew from Alaska to north-east Tasmania — a journey of 13,560km — in 11 days, arriving on October 24.

The bird was carrying a GPS package which enabled researchers to track its journey.

BirdLife Tasmania convener, Dr Eric Woehler, says godwits which have been tracked previously made a slightly shorter journey to New Zealand, rather than Tasmania, from Alaska.

“We don’t know whether this is a normal behaviour or not because we’ve only tracked a handful of birds.”

Press PLAY below to hear how godwits prepare for their epic flights from Alaska