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Arctic tern

70,900 km

Average yearly round trip, the longest migration measured

Confirmed Migration · Verified 2026-10-27 · WWV-AN-009

Tiny light-sensing tags showed Arctic terns flying about 70,900 km (44,000 miles) a year between Greenland and Antarctic waters, almost double the distance people had assumed. Individual birds covered anywhere from 59,500 to 81,600 km.

Based on 11 tracked birds in a 2010 study.

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