Animals That Migrate the Longest Distances
Some animals migrate distances that are hard to believe. A seabird flies from the Arctic to Antarctica every year. A butterfly flies thousands of miles to a forest it has never seen. A turtle finds its birth beach decades later using the planet's magnetic field. Here are four of nature's great journeys.
Quick Facts
- Longest: Arctic tern, about 70,900 km a year
- Smallest traveler: Ruby-throated hummingbird, about 3 grams
- Most mysterious: Monarch butterfly
- Best navigator: Loggerhead sea turtle
- Built-in compasses: The sun and Earth's magnetic field
1. Arctic Tern: Pole to Pole
Tracked Arctic terns from Greenland and Iceland averaged about 70,900 km a year, the longest migration ever recorded electronically. Over a lifetime that adds up to about 2.4 million km. Read the Arctic tern story.
2. Monarch Butterfly: A Forest She's Never Seen
The fall super generation of monarchs flies to central Mexico, some more than 3,000 miles, steering by the sun with the help of clocks in their antennae. None has ever been there before. Read the monarch story.
3. Ruby-Throated Hummingbird: 500 Miles Nonstop
Weighing about 3 grams, many ruby-throats fly about 500 miles straight across the Gulf of Mexico without stopping, after nearly doubling their weight in fat. Read the hummingbird story.
4. Loggerhead Sea Turtle: Home by Magnetism
After years at sea, female loggerheads return to the region where they hatched. Research suggests they imprint on the magnetic signature of their home coast. Read the sea turtle story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which animal has the longest migration?
The Arctic tern, with tracked birds averaging about 70,900 km a year between the Arctic and Antarctica.
How do animals navigate during migration?
Different animals use different cues. Monarchs use a sun compass kept on time by clocks in their antennae, and sea turtles appear to use Earth's magnetic field.
How far do monarch butterflies migrate?
Eastern monarchs fly to central Mexico, and some cover more than 3,000 miles.
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Sources
- Egevang et al. (2010), PNAS: Tracking of Arctic Terns Reveals Longest Animal Migration: Arctic tern distance
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: The Phenomenal Monarch Migration: monarch super generation
- Merlin, Gegear and Reppert (2009), Science: Antennal Circadian Clocks Coordinate Sun Compass Orientation in Migratory Monarch Butterflies: the monarch sun compass
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Life History: the Gulf crossing
- Brothers and Lohmann (2015), Current Biology: Evidence for Geomagnetic Imprinting and Magnetic Navigation in the Natal Homing of Sea Turtles: turtle magnetism
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Cover photo: Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.