Kate Ng: Cuckoo stuns scientists with longest migration (12,000 km) ever recorded“

By Dilip -
A cuckoo has completed one of the longest migrations ever recorded by any land bird after flying more than 7,500 miles (12,000km) from southern Africa to its birthplace and breeding grounds in Mongolia. The bird, named Onon, crossed 16 countries in his “mammoth journey”, facing down ocean crossings and high winds on the way. He arrived at the Church Bird Banding Station in Mongolia at 3.22pm local time on Wednesday, bird conservation organisation Birding Beijing said.
  • A cuckoo lands on a branch in the rain
  • A cuckoo lands on a branch in the rain ( Getty Images )

Onon is home! As of 1530 local time on 27 May 2020 he is in the icinity of Khurkh Bird [Banding] Station, where he was fitted with his tag in June 2019, after a round trip of 26,000km, including 27 border crossings involving 16 countries,” said Birding Beijing on its website, which posts regular updates on the whereabouts of the birds.

“Remarkable navigation and endurance. And now he has no time to waste as he needs to set up his territory, defending it from competing males and mate with as many females as possible!” Chris Hewson, senior research ecologist at the BTO, told the BBC the project has revealed much about the knowledge birds that migrate long distances have in order to make the journey....
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/cuckoo-migration-record-africa-mongolia-onon-a9534786.html

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