Motus Wildlife Tracking System

Metroparks Toledo is part of an important community of international researchers working together for the research and conservation of migratory animals. Migrating birds, bats, and insects wearing small radio-tracking devices are currently being followed by a network of coordinated receiving stations throughout the world. Locally, one such station now points skyward, placed atop the Homestead Shelter at Pearson Metropark, installed by Metroparks staff and researchers from Ohio State University.

This metal tower with five antennas acts as a data collector, logging information into an international network as it detects each animal flying within 15 km. Tagged with radio-tracking devices placed by researchers across the western hemisphere, these animals are able to be tracked geographically as they travel over the span of many miles. Currently, across 31 countries, there are more than 1,600 coordinated receiving stations (towers), with 2,000 collaborators studying over 300 species.

This coordinated network, known as the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, is hosted by Birds Canada, and reliant on data contributions from partners like Metroparks and others across the globe. Studies like these that are able to track migration, overall movement patterns, stopover habitat use, and species population dynamics make huge contributions to science and better inform conservation regarding the use of flyways and global landscapes. As birds move north to south and back again, the collaborative efforts of Motus make it easier to fit pieces of the migratory puzzle together by looking at where and when birds have been detected along their journey. [View]