Iowa’s Motus Wildlife Tracking Network, Annual Report, 2022

(2022) Iowa’s Motus Wildlife Tracking Network, Annual Report, 2022. Natural Resources, Department of

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Abstract

The Iowa DNR, with support from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant funding, initiated a network of automated radio telemetry receiver stations as part of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus.org) in summer 2021. Between August 2021 and September 2022, eight Motus stations were installed at DNR buildings across the state. Three additional stations were funded by partners and placed on County Conservation Board properties in fall 2022. These stations are part of a hemisphere-wide coordinated wildlife telemetry system focused on understanding long-distance movements of small migratory wildlife species, like birds, bats, and insects. Any wildlife tagged on the Motus system have the potential to be detected by the Iowa DNR’s receiver stations if they come within range. Since 2021, Iowa Motus stations have recorded 66 detections of 57 individuals from 17 bird species. All of these individuals were captured and tagged by licensed researchers outside of Iowa, and were detected as they migrated through the state.