By Kirsten L. Werner, Natural Lands Trust In the 1920s, Rear
Admiral Richard Byrd made aviation history with his flights over
both the North and South Poles, earning him medals and
accolades. But a different bird—one weighing less than an
iPhone—is the real master of long-distance flight. With one of
the longest migration paths in the animal kingdom, the Red Knot
flies nearly pole to pole and back every year of its life. Red
Knots are migratory shorebirds in the sandpiper family. They
spend their winters in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost point
of South America, wading along the tidal beaches to forage for
clams and other mollusks. But when February arrives, these birds
embark on a journey to their spring breeding grounds above the
Arctic Circle. Traveling in flocks of thousands, the Robin-sized
birds fly more than 9,300 miles to lay their eggs in shallow
nests built on the sparsely vegetated tundra. About halfway
along their spring trek, the Red Knots make a critical stopover
to Delaware Bay to refuel bef