Apr 30, 2025
These incredible birds travel thousands of miles each year, crossing continents and oceans to survive. Here are 10 birds that perform the longest migrations in the animal kingdom.
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The arctic tern holds the record, flying nearly 44,000 miles annually between the Arctic and Antarctic.
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The sooty shearwater covers over 40,000 miles, crossing the Pacific between New Zealand and North America.
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This bird flies nonstop up to 7,500 miles from Alaska to New Zealand in a single journey.
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Red knots travel around 9,000 miles one-way from the Arctic to South America each year.
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The northern wheatear migrates up to 9,000 miles between the Arctic and sub-Saharan Africa.
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The common swift spends most of its life flying, migrating about 14,000 miles round-trip yearly.
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Barn swallows migrate nearly 7,500 miles between North America and South America or Europe and Africa.
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This falcon travels over 13,000 miles between eastern Asia and southern Africa.
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Swainson’s hawk migrates about 6,000 miles from Canada to Argentina, crossing Central and South America.
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The Pacific golden plover flies over 7,000 miles from Alaska to islands across the Pacific, including Hawaii and Australia.
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