http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000362
Excerpt:
In the past year, Gill et al. [6] have provided direct evidence that
a shorebird, the Alaskan bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica baueri)
(Figure 1), makes its eight-day, 11,000-km autumn migration from Alaska
to New Zealand in one step, with no stopovers to rest or refuel. This
roughly doubles the previous maximum direct flight distance in birds,
challenging experts to square this remarkable marathon migration with our
understanding of aerodynamic theory and endurance physiology. Has this
bird finally shattered the limits of long-distance, nonstop migratory
flights, forcing researchers to rethink their theories and assumptions
about flight and endurance? Or is it possible to show that such feats
are possible given what we already understand about aerodynamic theory,
metabolism, navigation, and evolution? Here I argue that we already have
the tools in hand to understand how it can fly such a distance. What
then are the limits to non-stop flight, and can we expect to see these
records beaten in the future?
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