Longest Documented Continous Bird Flight

The godwit, while perhaps not as well known as some of its avian cousins--it's no beauty queen like the swan, nor cheery like the robin redbreast--finally has its own claim to fame. One enduring female godwit recently broke a record for the longest non-stop flight by a bird ever documented, flying an entirely uninterrupted 11,680 kilometers (over 7,257 miles). She took off from a breeding ground in Alaska and her flight lasted eight days, during which she did not stop for food, water, or rest until reaching her destination half-way around the world: New Zealand.