1The Ultimate World Traveler
Meet the arctic tern, a small bird that holds one of the biggest world records in the animal kingdom! Even though these birds are lightweight—weighing about the same as a smartphone—they are the toughest travelers on Earth. Every year, they fly from the top of the world in the Arctic all the way down to the bottom in the Antarctic, and then back again! This means they perform a massive loop of about 70,000 kilometers (43,000 miles) every single year, zig-zagging across the oceans to follow the best winds.
2Chasing the Eternal Summer
Why would such a tiny bird take on such a tiring trip? The answer is simple: they love the sunshine! By migrating between the two poles, arctic terns get to experience two summers every year. In the Arctic summer, the sun barely sets, providing nearly 24 hours of daylight for the birds to hunt for fish and raise their chicks. When the cold winter starts to creep in, they zoom south to catch the Antarctic summer. Because they follow the sun, these birds see more daylight than any other creature on our planet.
3To the Moon and Back
Arctic terns are not just fast; they are also very long-lived. These feisty flyers can live for up to 30 years! If you add up all the kilometers an arctic tern flies during its entire life, the distance is over 2.4 million kilometers. That is the same as flying to the Moon and back three whole times! To save energy on these long flights, they are experts at gliding. They can even sleep and eat while they are in the air or floating on pieces of ice, making them the true champions of the sky.
