The great Snipe is a little shore bird-not one that would be considered a great athlete. However, a recent study has shown that these slightly fat birds not only fly nonstop for long periods of time during their annual migration, but do so at record speeds. The brown migratory birds that are about the size of a pigeon spend their summers in Eastern Europe and winters in Central Africa, a distance of about 2,800 to 4,000 miles. In May 2009, a team of researchers led by Dr. Raymond Klaasen from Sweden's Lund University fitted ten Great Snipes with tiny geo-locating devices that allow scientists to figure out when and where the birds travel, and let them loose. The following year they found three of the birds and took back the devices. What they discovered was quite  _ . All three birds had flown nonstop to Central Africa in August of 2009-one had flown 4,225 miles in just 3.5 days. The second one had covered a distance of 3,833 miles in three days, while the third had managed to fly 2,870 miles in a mere 48 hours or two days. Even more surprising was that these birds had traveled at speeds that averaged about 50 miles per hour-making it the fastest known migration ever. While many birds migrate longer distances, they do so over a period of a few months, resting and feeding in between. However, despite the fact the Great Snipe has plenty of opportunities, it does not stop. And they do the entire flight with their own power, with no assistance from the wind. The tiny bird is able to make this unbelievable direct flight because of all the fat it gradually gathers in its body, which it then uses as fuel. Native no North Eastern Europe, Great Snipes live in marshlands and wet meadows . But they are also on the list of endangered animals because of loss of habitat. During their migration, Great Snipes  _  .
frequently pause to feed fly with the help of the wind use the fat in their body as fuel sometimes take the opportunity to rest