45 godwits at Motueka sand spit were caught in spring 2023, measured and fitted with transmitters as part of a godwit sleep study. Photo: Alison Ballance
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If you’ve ever taken a long-haul flight from New Zealand you’ve probably experienced sleep deprivation.
Now imagine you’re a small bird, flapping your wings continuously, unable to land or feed, on a flight that will take anywhere from 8 to 11 days. When and how do you sleep?
New Zealand birds part of new sleep study
Eastern bar-tailed godwits, or kuaka, make the longest non-stop flight in the world, and how they sleep during these epic flights is the focus of a new research project involving 45 godwits from the Motueka sandspit.
This sleep project involves ornithologist Jesse Conklin, from the United States, and Bart Kempenaers, Mihai Valcu and avian sleep expert Niels Rattenborg, all from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in Germany.
In October 2023, the researchers and a team of Kiwi birders assembled on the Motueka sand spit to catch 45 godwits. They used cannon-nets to catch the birds as they congregated at a high tide roost. They were then measured, given unique identifying leg bands and leg flags, and fitted with smart solar-powered tags. These tags will phone home using the 5G mobile network to transmit data.
Alison Ballance joined the godwit catching team to learn how the researchers hope the smart tags will shed a light on the bird’s sleep patterns.
Bart Kempenears and Jesse Conklin keeping an eye out for tagged godwits. Photo: Alison Ballance
