Arctic Terns, the great traveler
Fame for pooping on tourists, Arctic terns are small seabirds. Even small, these birds hold the record for the longest migration of any animal in the world. They are well known for the 50,000 mile (80,000 km) or more, round-trip between Arctic and Antarctica.
These sun-loving birds follow the sun from pole to pole, catching summertime in both places, and seeing more sunlight than any other animal on the planet.
On the journey south, rather than take direct routes, Arctic terns always stopover in an area of upwelling, and detour long distance to find better foods or avoid bad weather. So they have to take about 3 months on the journey. But there are only 40 days to fly back north, mainly because the strength of the prevailing winds.
As they may live for more than 30 years, Arctic terns travel an estimated 1.5 million mile (2.4 million km) in their lifetimes. That is three return flights to the Moon.
Courtship for these monogamous birds also takes place in flight. Their mating begins when a male swoops in the sky carrying a fish, and then offers its fish to a female.
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