Renowned for having the fastest horizontal flight speed of any migratory bird, the white-throated needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) comes to the warm climes of Japan in spring to nest, lays its eggs, and raise its young, then migrates to Australia when autumn arrives. However, as these birds spend their lives on the wing when they are not raising their young, they are very difficult to observe, and their migratory route remained unclear. Nevertheless, scientists have now succeeded in conducting a tracking survey of white-throated needletails fitted with small recording devices, and have determined their precise migratory routes in spring and autumn. Rather than taking the shortest route, these birds make a round-trip of as much as 40,000 km between Japan and Australia, following a figure-eight pattern.