WHICH BIRD MIGRATES THE FURTHEST?
Dave Bankes
The longest regular migratory flight is made by the Arctic tern, which breeds in the Arctic Circle and then heads south to Antarctica. The round trip is approximately 44,055 miles long, and as Arctic terns can live for 30 years, this could mean clocking up a lifetime mileage of over 1.49 million miles – almost three return trips to the Moon! The longest non-stop flights are made by various swifts. It has been calculated that young common swifts breeding in Europe and wintering in Africa complete a non-stop flight of some 310,685 miles.