Date: March 25, 2019
Source: Newcastle University
Data from
a landmark study of the world's longest migrating seabird reveals how overland
migration is an integral part of their amazing journey.
Analysing
the data from electronic tags retrieved from 47 Arctic Terns, the Newcastle
University-led team has been able to characterise in unprecedented detail the
route and stop-off points during this record-breaking bird's 90,000 km annual
migration.
This
includes:
An
8,000km, 24-day, non-stop flight over the Indian Ocean, feeding on the move
An
overland detour from the Farne Irelands to the Irish Sea and over Ireland to
the Atlantic
A short
stay on the New Zealand coast before completing the final leg of their journey
A
stop-off at Llangorse Lake, in the Brecon Beacons National Park, during their
return journey in the Spring
Led by
scientists at Newcastle University, UK, in collaboration with BBC's Springwatch
and The National Trust, 53 adult birds nesting on the Farne Islands off the
Northumberland coast were fitted with geolocators over a three year period.
Weighing
just over 100 g the Arctic Tern has the longest migration of any bird,
travelling all the way to Antarctica for the winter and back to the Farnes,
which are owned and managed by the National Trust, to breed in the spring.
So far,
47 tags have been retrieved and the research team, led by Dr Chris Redfern of
Newcastle University, are starting to analyse the data.
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