The Fantastic Journey of the Golden Plover
One of the migratory birds in the Northern Hemisphere is the golden plover. Mayhaps they dislike the cold because they migrate to areas that are much warmer. A particular species travels from Alaska to Hawaii — a journey that seems impossible at first glance.
These birds bulk up for the trip, as they are unable to pull over at a diner or hotel for breaks. This sounds reminiscent of the ineffective (possibly harmful) tactic of bicyclists and similar athletes called carbohydrate loading before endurance events.
Pacific Golden Plover, Flickr / patrickkavanagh (CC BY 2.0) |
The animal kingdom contains many marvels that modern science has yet to fully explain. One example concerns the migration flight of the golden plover.The Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva) is a small shorebird, about the size of a dove. It lives from northern Siberia to western Alaska. Every year, these birds leave their young and fly south to spend the winter in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia, or on various Pacific islands.Of the Alaska-dwelling members of this species, almost all (including those stopping en route to more distant destinations) make a migratory flight to Hawaii. . .Amazingly, for an individual plover to fly this distance would require more energy than is stored in its body.
To read it all, take the trip to "The golden plover — Designed for energy conservation in flight."