Marine expert session: Epic migrations and future threats
Channel: Auckland War Memorial Museum
Date: 2013-08-30

Keith Woodley, Manager of the Miranda Shorebird Centre tells us about shorebirds and why some take their epic migration flights. Each year Bar-tailed Godwits migrate via the Yellow Sea to breeding grounds in Alaska, before returning to New Zealand, a round trip of at least 30,000 km. 
They, along with other species of shorebirds that breed on the Arctic tundra, take advantage of the rich feeding grounds available on the Firth of Thames and other harbours and estuaries.

But why do they come so far? And if there is plenty of food available here, why do they always return to the Arctic?

Before a migration flight godwits will double their body weight, while also altering the size of some of their organs. They may then fly distances of 11,000 km nonstop. How do they do that? Much of what we know about these epic migrations has been discovered within the last few years, so we shall also examine how the story unfolded.


http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/whats-on/exhibitions/moana/exhibition-programme/marine-expert-session-epic-migrations-and-futuret