The yearly migration of the Bar-tailed Godwit is among the most awe-inspiring in the bird world. Each fall it makes a seven-to-nine-day, 7,200-mile flight from coastal western Alaska to New Zealand where it spends the winter—the longest known nonstop migratory flight. In order to do so, the bird undergoes a number of dramatic physiological changes including a rapid shrinkage of its digestive organs in order to make room for more flight muscle, fat, and heart mass. The godwit does not pause to eat or land to rest during its wind-assisted journey over the open Pacific Ocean. Yalujiang, Yellow Sea. China.
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