Bar-Tailed Godwit
This Bar-Tailed Godwit did not make it from its home in Alaska to New Zealand. It stopped here in the SF Bay Area for some reason unknown to all of us. But normally each fall, migratory flocks take flight from western Alaska nonstop for over 10,000 km (6,000 miles) until they reach their nonbreeding grounds in New Zealand and Australia.
Needless to say it's a rare bird here and many birders from all over come to find it and take its photo.
Another fascinating tidbit is that they digest parts of their own organs as part of an incredible adaptation for their long, non-stop migration. They absorb up to 25% of the tissue from their liver, kidneys, and digestive tract to make room for extra fat and to reduce weight. This process, called autophagy, allows the organs to be rebuilt once the birds arrive at their destination.
Bar-Tailed Godwit
This Bar-Tailed Godwit did not make it from its home in Alaska to New Zealand. It stopped here in the SF Bay Area for some reason unknown to all of us. But normally each fall, migratory flocks take flight from western Alaska nonstop for over 10,000 km (6,000 miles) until they reach their nonbreeding grounds in New Zealand and Australia.
Needless to say it's a rare bird here and many birders from all over come to find it and take its photo.
Another fascinating tidbit is that they digest parts of their own organs as part of an incredible adaptation for their long, non-stop migration. They absorb up to 25% of the tissue from their liver, kidneys, and digestive tract to make room for extra fat and to reduce weight. This process, called autophagy, allows the organs to be rebuilt once the birds arrive at their destination.