Tiny Songbird Makes a Non-Stop Flight of Epic Proportions Over the Atlantic

This songbird may be tiny, but it managed a flight of epic proportions. Scientists have found evidence that small, blackpoll warblers complete a nonstop flight from about 1,410 to 1,721 miles in just two to three days over the Atlantic Ocean.

"For small songbirds, we are only just now beginning to understand the migratory routes that connect temperate breeding grounds to tropical wintering areas," said Bill DeLuca, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We're really excited to report that this is one of the longest nonstop overwater flights ever recorded for a songbird, and finally confirms what has long been believed to be one of the most extraordinary migratory feats on the planet."

Geolocators are too large and heavy for studying songbid migration. The tiny blackpoll warbler weighs in at just half an ounce, which makes it too small to carry traditional tracking instruments. But with recent advances in geolocator technology, making it lighter and smaller, the researchers were able to finally track down the migration of these birds.

The researchers used miniaturized geolocators about the size of a dime and weighing only .5 grams. They attached these devices to the birds' lower backs, just like tiny backpacks. The scientists then retrieved the devices when the warblers returned to Canada and Vermont the following spring.

So what did they find? It turns out that the birds travel non-stop, making landfall somewhere in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the islands known as the Greater Antilles. Then, they go on to northern Venezuela and Columbia. These migrations take them over the Atlantic instead of following the safer coastline.

"It was pretty thrilling to get the return birds back, because their migratory feat in itself is on the brink of impossibility," said DeLuca. "We worried that stacking one more tiny card against their success might result in them being unable to complete the migration. Many migratory songbirds, blackpolls included, are experiencing alarming population declines for a variety of reasons; if we can learn more about where these birds spend their time, particularly during the nonbreeding season, we can begin to examine and address what might be causing the declines."

The findings are published in the journal Biology Letters.

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