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
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Black History Month
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A bohemian feline
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Big Bend National Park turns 78
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Moody skies over Valletta
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Old Town Quito
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World Migratory Bird Day
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And the skies filled with bats…
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India Republic Day
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Daylight saving time
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First day of autumn
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It s only Wednesday
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National Bison Day
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Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Louvre Pyramid
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Time for brass bands and beer
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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
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A silent witness to history
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Headed to the High Country
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And you thought moths were boring
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Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil
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Here there be dragons
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This grizzly has Napping Day down
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Churún Merú waterfall in Venezuela
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Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
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Valentines Day
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National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Cordouan Lighthouse, France
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Tour de France
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It’s National Walk to Work Day
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Let the holiday shopping commence
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A city, a cliff, a canyon…and cheese