The World's Longest Non-Stop Flight

The bar-tailed godwit makes the longest nonstop flight of any bird: From Alaska to New Zealand. And they have to shrink their organs to do it.
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Host: Hank Green (He/Him)
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asknature.org/...
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• Meet the Locals: Godwi...
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• Bar-tailed Godwit
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[@BizarreBeasts]

Get your wonderful, signed Emily Graslie art print here! complexly.store/products/emily-graslie-print

[@Tanyajenkins]

And we have 1800 of these amazing Godwits in Christchurch New Zealand RIGHT NOW. Each year in early March we host a ceremony to "wish them a safe trip home in Alaska". Awesome video.

[@jamesg6885]

that;s so awesome!!!! wish I could see that

[@jess53nz]

I'm in chch too!

[@itsdragon85]

So has this been occurring your entire lifetime?

[@vinayakghagare3139]

Lovely

[@blove9415]

@@itsdragon85every year

[@Neotenico]

I can't imagine the complex system of biological triggers and pathways required for an animal to REABSORB ITS ORGAN TISSUES. I'm curious if that process is exclusive to just the one subspecies or if it happens for all bar-tailed godwits before migration. Because that seems like it would be a pretty dramatic genetic difference, enough to classify as a separate species (especially in the ornithology field which, from what I've learned from my uncle's work, seems to be much more gene focused when it comes to taxonomy).

[@ArawnOfAnnwn]

Actually lots of animals have a similar capability, including us. It's a response to starvation. Even humans who're being starved will, in the later stages, begin to absorb their own tissues to survive. We can't do it at will, but this ability of theirs could have evolved from it.

[@Neotenico]

@@ArawnOfAnnwn The thing is, this is a seasonal trigger. When your body is starved of nutrients and starts consuming all the amino acids and triglycerides it can find, that's one thing. But to re-rig that biological response to a temporal (or temperature) factor is just nuts to me.

[@clomiancalcifer]

Tissue resorption isn't that weird for birds. Most for instance resorb a large part of their reproductive systems outside of breeding season. A lot of these triggers are hormone based, with the hormones themselves being triggered for production due to external stimuli. In many passerines (song birds) and some other migratory birds, this external stimuli is solar position and day length....usually in combination with some form of polarized light detection (in others it can be nutrient threshold loads). Solar position is of course fairly constant over millennia, and more reliable than meteorological data is for determining general 'good times for arrival'...typically. But then most bird populations' responsiveness to solar input is on a normal distribution or bell-shaped curve which means there's a breadth of reactions resulting in later and earlier arrival times, thus allowing for differential success and in theory species resilience should there be some kind of localized disentanglement of solar position and seasonal meteorology. That being said as climate starts becoming increasingly chaotic, we're seeing increasing failure rates of both migrations and breeding seasons as the classic entanglements of solar constants and meteorological response well...become disentangled more frequently. Survival is thus dependent on the depth or breadth of the behavioral 'background radiation' within the normal distribution of stimuli responses....which is more assured in cases of higher diversity and population size but is not guaranteed especially in populations that have very narrow margins for error, such as some of these long distance migrants banking on small, Arctic reproductive windows....

[@NijosoSefzaps]

@@Neotenico It's not actually that wild, if you think about genetics as a kind of "if...then..." series of statements. Which is an oversimplification, but changing from a starvation trigger to a seasonal trigger is a much easier feat than developing a new system from scratch.

[@Neotenico]

@@clomiancalcifer Sorry to reply so late, but wow. Thank you for such an in-depth response and tremendous amount of information. I was unaware that avian evolution was so deeply tied to solar position. Considering the most stable system on our planet is its own orbit, I'm kind of embarrassed I couldn't deduce that it would be such a powerful driving force for adaptation. Your comments on climate change, its role in desynchronizing the solar/meteorological status quo, and the subsequent impact on species that depend upon that status quo for biological triggers makes a lot of sense as well. Yet another example of the unfortunate fragility of evolutionary specialists.

[@krisjonesuk]

I live close to an estuary on the east coast of England. We get many Bar-tailed Godwits on the river here from October till early April. Once they develop their summer plumage they migrate. A local ornithologist recently identified one that had been ringed in Iceland 19 years ago!

[@ninjaswordtothehead]

Imagine how awesome it would be to walk down to the beach, *and then fly across the ocean using your body,* just so you could chill in another country for a bit. That'd be pretty cool.

[@SerpentiCaptain]

"Depending on which ornithologist you ask." Allow me to translate for people unfamiliar with academia: The arguments are legendary. Tenured professors have been fired. At least one balding septuagenarian with a PhD has been involved in a physical altercation about how many subspecies there are.

[@sineadinglis799]

This is one of the many reasons why I love science 😂

[@celerystox]

Did anyone else think Hank said the "Great Frigginbird"? 🤣

[@RedHair651]

I came here to say this

[@mrfish.-]

“Damn! Those are some great friggin birds!!”

[@aimeecentaine]

I mean it's great frigate bird but sure 😂😂😂

[@CoupleMoore]

Well, you asked us to guess what kind of bizarre beast might be next. The bar-tailed godwit was certainly not the one I would have thought of.

[@samwill7259]

Me and the boys used to go absorbing our digestive organs on a roadtrip

[@Hasmanian]

Around Vancouver BC, the average Canada goose migrates in the neighborhood of 50 metres.

[@trishalish13]

"Think back to the longest road trip of your life" says Hank Green, whom I actually accidentally ran across in Missoula, Montana during the longest road trip of my life. 😅

[@jansenart0]

I can confidently say, as someone who can nap anywhere, that they snooze while in flight for a few seconds at a time, every few minutes.

[@anarchyantz1564]

Would like to know from an evolution perspective how they all "decided" to fly such a large distance and when there why not stay there?

[@clomiancalcifer]

Well decision is the wrong word. It was likely a gradual process of divergence between flight pathway populations, that expanded as populations optimized reproduction with risk. Arctic summers represent excessively long days, limited predators, fewer competitors, not nearly as many parasites and copious amounts of food. They don't stay there for obvious reasons that winters are harsh to say the least. Temperate and tropical environments have of food, yes but not as densely packed as the Arctic summer, have more acceptable climates year round, but do not have have the 24 hours of sunlight that the Arctic has, and also have lots more predators, competition and parasites. Whilst travelling is risky, the rewards for getting travel right are great, and whilst the rewards for staying temperate or tropical are...limited and the risk is as great or riskier, especially since many tropical and temperate niches are already quite heavily satiated...thus forcing many species into more extreme strategies to find adequate resources for reproductive success.

[@ceulgai2817]

Wow, that IS a bizarre bird! Glad to see you back, Hank, as well as normal episodes! (Not that I didn't enjoy the undersea series)

[@ljphoenix4341]

Having been to Miranda Shorebird Centre, and the Firth of Thames in NZ, where a lot of the Godwits live when in New Zealand, it's a fascinating place, and the birds are amazing!

[@sylvieweeks4149]

I would love episodes on the immortal jellyfish and the New Guinea singing dog!

[@johndavey9129]

Australia is a destination - not an emergency landing if blown off course from New Zealnad. Last week a Bar-tailed Godwit was identified having flown from Alaska to Tasmania - a world record distance of 13,560 klms. I live on Lake Illawarra - approx 100klms on the coast south of Sydney and I spotted my first Godwit for the summer season a fortnight ago. Otherwise - loved you post.

[@fubberpish3614]

I believe it's a different subspecies that regularly migrates to Australia, rather than baueri that usually heads to New Zealand.

[@sukeshkohli475]

Incredible long flight maiden journey of 13,560 Kms made by 5 months old juvenile bird. GOD is so great, when you look at these incredible birds making an impossible non-stop journey flying across the pacific non-stop day and night without navigation. Beautiful GOD and it’s creatures❤

[@acatlol2930]

New Zealnad

[@travisbicklejr]

Great video! More birds, please!

[@BizarreBeasts]

The new merch we hinted at is here! It is a wonderful, signed, limited edition art print by Emily Graslie! Get yours here! store.dftba.com/collections/bizarrebeasts/products/emily-graslie-print

[@KhalidMehmood-yt1yw]

Very beautiful all cute birds and also beautiful photography

[@ReformationRamblings]

Whither, 'midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way? Vainly the fowler’s eye Might mark thy distant flight, to do thee wrong, As, darkly seen against the crimson sky, Thy figure floats along. Seek’st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, Or where the rocking billows rise and sink On the chaféd ocean side? There is a Power, whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,- The desert and illimitable air Lone wandering, but not lost. All day thy wings have fanned, At that far height, the cold thin atmosphere; Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, Though the dark night is near. And soon that toil shall end, Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest, And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend, Soon, o’er thy sheltered nest. Thou’rt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up thy form, yet, on my heart Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, And shall not soon depart. He, who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must trace alone, Will lead my steps aright. - To The Waterfowl, William Cullen Bryant

[@nettlesandsnakes9138]

I am Going to add a bird like this to my world, I’m working a world building project, which features a cold habitable world, and a bird like this would fit right in. This is a good Bizzarre beast!

[@MyVanHaven]

What a coincidence, I was just thinking of making a creature that can do this when nutrients or resources are low on a very hot, volcanic alien world, though maybe not a bird

[@nettlesandsnakes9138]

@@MyVanHaven I guess you’re going to reverse them, I’m just going to have them as a little creature that has cultural importance in the main culture I’m exploring; plus I want to see how my peoples will react to them leaving and what theories they will make.

[@MyVanHaven]

@@nettlesandsnakes9138 one of my favourite historical theories of bird migrations was they thought the birds flew to the moon every winter

[@klaasdeboer8106]

We have black tailed Godwits here around Amsterdam. I love the their call, it is the soud of spring arriving!

[@salt-emoji]

Me watching this video: wow this is incredible, they travel the world they see it all */Climate change looms/*

[@win9810]

nature is showing admirable, especially the migratory shorebirds are amazing. Thanks for working and sharing such a valuable information about the Bar-tailed godwit and their migration.

[@Busratjarasamia]

Thank you very much😊😊😊😊

[@FleshWolf]

Hank Green cinematic universe

[@macaroniandtuna]

A good follow-on to this would be the arctic tern, with the longest migration of any animal, and as a result being the animal that sees more daylight hours than any other because they live in both Northern and Southern summers.

[@philip5940]

Let's not forget the plovers too . That china stopover is becoming a concern .

[@TheFindingNimo]

This is amazing. Mind blowing 😍

[@MyVanHaven]

I hope a time when I have money to spend, coincides with a time when y'all might offer a special "every pin we've ever made" pack for limited time sale. Until then, I'll just keep aiming for being able to afford the monthly pins cos they look amazing every month.

[@samgibson1683]

When you said, "they do this every year" all I heard was Sid the Sloth

[@matthewwelsh294]

Welcome to the Ice Age

[@seancourtney9021]

I may have encountered a Bar-tailed Godwit blown off course. Two weeks ago, found a dead bird in my backyard. He was a multi-brown color and had a strange long beak, not common to birds in my area, which is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I've taken pictures of him/her and plan to ask the local DNR about identification. Right now I can say it looks exactly like some of the birds pictured in this video.

[@michellefarahay]

I just had this happen to me in Columbus, Ohio. It was dead on the porch at work when I locked up that night. My friends called it a Woodcock. I’m trying to figure out if they’re similar? I had never seen one before and then I stumbled across this video and it looked just like the chunky ones in this video without white bellies.

[@anari234]

It could have been a Sandpiper or a Dowitcher which are local to your area.

[@andyjay729]

The avian equivalent of Singapore Airlines.

[@StonedtotheBones13]

I wonder if the way their organs work is at all similar to how humans react to starvation. Perhaps studying them could help with our treatment of ourselves

[@scottperkins5038]

I can't get the idea of Bar Tailed Godwit being an insult Sir Terry Pratchett would have put into his books.

[@AceofHearth]

1:26 "They ONLY migrate for 1500-2000KM". The shade. BTW, am I the only one bothered by the choice of the colour combination of the map graphic? I mean, why isn't the body of water represented with blue instead of dark blood red/maroon?

[@benmccrobie9272]

...it is? the red is where they live, the dark blue is water, and the light blue is land

[@AceofHearth]

@@benmccrobie9272 I meant the one at 1:50

[@edwardcamp3376]

But how did they ever come to do this? That's what I want to know.

[@sonorasgirl]

Love this little guy! So cool!

[@AliIsmaeltyphoon]

QURAN [16:79] Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them up except Allah. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.

[@emmacarter3968]

Couldn't wait for this one!

[@bugguyonline]

OMG NEW VID

[@alannasarafat9938]

this is how my grandparents tell me how hard the journey they must take to going to the school

[@avifan59]

you are the coolest host! I used to use your videos to my plant science college students! Thanks :)

[@Mazequax]

Hank, stop following me around KZbin videos please. Such needy narrators 😒😝

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Ok, the storing fat makes sense...and the organ shrinking makes sense... but how does their body process and ship that fat to the organs that need it without a full-sized liver?

[@Mike504]

Hank!!!

[@michmach74]

How many science-y shows does Hank host I keep seeing him everywhere

[@RedHair651]

He has people write most of these videos and a lot of them are shot in Montana, USA. That's bound to help.

[@MrAledro84]

This is one the most remarkable things I have ever heard of in my 39 goddamn years of life!

[@PureVikingPowers]

Wrong, the common swift flies ten months on end without landing even once! They spend 10 months in the air, sleeping and eating.

[@halloyoutubers7047]

Ceck out the arctic stern, it flys from the northern arctic regions to Antartica and back.

[@ali_b_lush2]

Loved this episode! One of the most astonishing ones I've seen. Thanks! ❤

[@nipahnoob]

What ecosystems do humans thrive in?

[@dragonharris5465]

The name “godwit” makes me think these birds are as smart as God 😂

[@janbus6380]

Interesting, but please slow down the talking

[@HienNguyenHMN]

Imagine if humans could harness the superpower of just... regrowing our organs.

[@RedHair651]

They aren't regrowing them, they just shrink. But we are actually able to do this with some of our organs, especially our liver. You can remove a lot of someone's liver and still have it grow back. That all comes at a cost, though, because it means that sometimes you might get injured and grow another liver elsewhere.

[@EmonEconomist]

Did you say they have both a winter and a summer home? Where is their winter home?

[@ChesterRGC]

One would wonder they can stop in Hawaii

[@Gus-tw7zw]

Is it bad that my first thought was how their fat content changes for their migration changes how they'd taste?

[@RedHair651]

I personally think that's a weird thought, yeah

[@arijitghosh1151]

If they hate winter why not they migrate to Africa or asia

[@BouncingTribbles]

When you gotta migrate, you gotta migrate

[@vasuvinod2165]

Amazing creation and inspiration

[@PtolemiosFrost]

Well, they have god in their name for a reason lol

[@SilentRacer911]

You said for their winter, but technically they don’t have a winter, they have a perpetual spring, summer, fall timeline… must be nice, wish I could do that opposite and avoid the hot summer

[@askthebubble28]

The pin bird looks so cute

[@Troy-ol5fk]

Why are they standing on one leg?

[@bryandangol8223]

What about Albatros bird??

[@KisherunoShikiShini]

I like this episode's background soundtrack, very whimsical and fun

[@bradnarraway9141]

As a Canadian, I'm a little offended that these tenacious fliers apparently don't care for OUR northern climes 😂

[@VyvienneEaux]

Do they not eat platyhelminths?

[@lidwine006]

In the netherlands, europe, we call this bird :Grutto. This bird is the nationale bird of our country.

[@schlibbity]

Can someone please help me understand why Hank described the open Pacific Ocean as "relatively featureless"? That seems like it might be an understatement

[@EntertainedOrNot]

Bet they use the stars

[@miketrissel5494]

Romans 1:20 For his (God’s) invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, so that they are inexcusable. They became empty-headed in their reasonings and their senseless hearts became darkened. 23 and they turned the glory of the incorruptible God into something like the image of corruptible man and birds.

[@TobechukwuOkechukwu]

There is a bird who flies more

[@GuanoLad]

I used to live at a river mouth on the coast of New Zealand. It was a while ago, but I do believe I saw these dudes scampering around the estuary a lot.

[@fokii9880]

Is this narrator Ha m Green

[@evafluksa3435]

The more I learn about the curious creatures of this planet, the less All Tomorrows seems fictional to me 😂

[@goldmannglobal]

I hate winter too😂😂

[@thenamelessone1102]

Life is insane man

[@chenalindelossantos967]

so honored to have observed these amazing migrants in the Philippines ❤

[@ThatJaymsWisdom]

Still the best KZbin channel... nay _video series_ on the internet.

[@jordansorenson698]

I can't say I understand why they live in northern Alaska in the first place. Especially since... you know... winter... but hey, different flaps for different folks I guess.

[@clomiancalcifer]

They-they don't live in Alaska in the winter...that was the point. And Alaska in the summer is a literal 24 hour buffet of invertebrates for them to eat...with the bonus of having limited predation and competition to worry about dealing with in the first place.

[@JJs2121]

Answer God!

[@markrademaker5875]

Job 12:7-10

[@stax6092]

Cool.

[@PiperLadow]

Amen..😂😂😂😂

[@Bc232klm]

Third

[@Arnav-lp6vs]

Its in fiji tooo

[@nadeemmustafa6450]

AMAZING ❤❤❤

[@brendakrieger7000]

Impressive

[@AlexFeanor]

Ah the great nature always refresh my mind！

[@TeethToothman]

☠️🌟☠️

[@windlessoriginals1150]

🐦

[@franciscorosa1498]

I thought it was gonna be the artic tern lol

[@jobriq5]

I love their silly little beaks

[@personious_k]

nice! i guessed right! 😁

[@david-rj5yb]

Godwit, what a name!

[@myboy_]

Make these longer!

[@mydinosaurworld375]

Wow