The Arctic Tern holds the record for the farthest migration distance - it travels from its’ Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic and back again each year (pole to pole). The distance they migrate is approximately 25,000 miles a year. Some reports show the distance to be much higher than that, as much as 44,000. Over a lifespan of roughly 34 years - at least 850,000 miles. This does not include the location flying.