Researchers Find Tiny Songbird Can Fly 1,700 Miles Over Open Ocean, Without Stopping

Researchers have found that a tiny songbird can fly almost two thousand miles over open ocean, without taking a break.

Researchers fitted the pocket-sized blackpoll warbler with tiny geolocating "backpacks" to map out the grueling migration. Researchers discovered that these birds make the longest overseas migration among any land bird.

The blackpoll warbler, scientifically named Setophaga striata, is a songbird native to North America and weighs merely 12 grams.

"This is the first study to provide direct evidence of the birds' migration route - we found they flew directly over the Atlantic Ocean to reach their wintering grounds in South America," said co-author Ryan Norris, a professor at the University of Guelph, in a press release.

Researchers noted that to avoid drowning, the birds must complete the entire migration which is nearly 1,700 miles without even stopping once. The birds complete the flight in two to three days.

"These birds have a tremendous voyage ahead of them, with some likely flying from western Canada to the east coast before flying south," Norris said. "They eat as much as possible, in some cases doubling their body mass in fat so they can fly without needing food or water."

"For blackpolls, they don't have the option of failing or coming up a bit short," Norris added in the press release. "It's a fly-or-die journey that requires so much energy."

Findings of the study were published in the journal Biology Letters.