This little bird with its 20-inch wingspan weighs about as much as a stick of butter, but it has the stamina of an Olympian. Each fall, red knots are known to fly more than 9,000 miles from the Arctic to South America–and in the spring, they do the journey in reverse, for a roundtrip of more than 20,000 miles. The most famous red knot, known as ‘Moonbird,’ is so named because the total of its known migrations have exceeded the distance to the moon. Moonbird was first banded in Rio Grande, Argentina, in 1995 and has been sighted many times in the years after–amazing scientists and birders alike.
A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Once in a pink moon
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Muniellos Nature Reserve
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Veterans Day
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World Elephant Day
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World Space Week begins
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Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
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International Museum Day
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Göreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
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This park is Superkilen
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Happy birthday to Crater Lake National Park
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Marine Day in Japan
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Redwood National and State Parks, California
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Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
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Red skies at Ruby Beach
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Black History Month
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Hohenzollern Castle near Stuttgart, Germany
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Mexican giant cardon cactus
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World Nature Conservation Day
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Penguin Awareness Day
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Songkran—Thai New Year
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Make way for robots
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International Polar Bear Day
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Valentines Day
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World Lizard Day
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Travel Sunday: San Francisco
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Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park
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Ruins of Inca temples and terraces on Huayna Picchu, Peru
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Impala in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
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Groundhog Day
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Womens History Month