[Wind blowing] [Slow motion of ten Hudsonian godwits flying just above the surface of the ocean. As they fly, more godwits become visible.] 

End of transcript

Birds are capable of astonishing acts of endurance when flying. The Hudsonian Godwit migrates from Alaska and northern Canada all the way to southern South America. A close relative of this species, the Bar-tailed Godwit, has been documented completing an even longer journey from Alaska to New Zealand, a staggering 7,000 miles, without stopping.

This video accompanies Chapter 12, Avian Migration and Dispersal, Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd Edition from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Wiley Publishing.

Recorded by Eric Liner