Iowa's Motus Wildlife Tracking Network, 2023 Annual Report, 2023

(2023) Iowa's Motus Wildlife Tracking Network, 2023 Annual Report, 2023. Natural Resources, Department of

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Abstract

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a collaborative global network of automated radio telemetry receivers and tagging projects. Motus was initiated in Ontario by Birds Canada in 2012 and has expanded globally since (Figure 1). Motus uses radio telemetry, which has three main components; transmitters, antennas, and receivers. The transmitters send out radio signals every few seconds and are placed on wildlife. Antennas are used to listen for the radio signals of nearby wildlife tagged with transmitters. Receivers interpret the radio signals heard by the antennas. Traditional wildlife telemetry requires every tagged individual to transmit a unique radio frequency, and for the receiver to be re-tuned to the frequency of each tagged individual a researcher is trying to find. The Motus system uses the same general components of radio telemetry, but the transmitters are digitally coded tags that allow for unique identification of thousands of individuals on a single radio frequency and the receivers are automated and set to listen only for Motus radio frequencies.