Twice a year, hundreds of bird species migrate more than 3,000 miles from northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and central America. Research partnerships like the Migratory Bird Explorer allow us to collect tracking data covering all 3,000 of those miles.

Scientists like Stephen Brenner, Audubon Great Plains Avian Biologist, use multiple methods to track individual birds and map migratory patterns. The most accurate way to track animals is with a GPS tracking device, but these are often expensive and only work with a limited number of larger species. New innovations using some of the oldest tracking technology has opened up exciting new avenues for unprecedented research into amazing animal migrations.

Motus – Latin for ‘movement’ – is a radio telemetry tracking system that collects data on individual animals whenever a tracking device comes within range of a receiver. Information is collected and managed in a centralized database so that device tags can be detected wherever the animal travels. This requires that researchers coordinate and share their data, ideal for developing accurate maps of migrations and travel over time.

This network is especially valuable for many migratory species that are too small to carry GPS devices, like sparrows, thrushes, and warblers.