Publications

The following is a list of publications that are based on Motus data. If you are affiliated with a project that has used data collected through Motus, we encourage you to join the following Zotero group and add any addition publications not already listed.
Please use the following citation formats for all publications and reports.
If Motus data are used in your analysis, the citation should be as follows:

[Data owner name]. 2019. [Dataset name]. Data accessed from the Motus Wildlife Tracking System. Birds Canada. Available: http://www.motus.org/. Accessed: [Date].

If Motus graphics or tools are used in your analysis the citation should be as follows:

Birds Canada. 2019. Motus Wildlife Tracking System. Port Rowan, Ontario. Available: http://www.motus.org. Accessed: [Date].

Search motus publications (by year, title or author):
Click on a reference for more details. More titles and search options are available within the Zotero group

Taucher, Trixie Leah. “Flying through the Seasons: Exploring Molecular Signatures in Wild Bird Populations to Uncover Seasonal Adaptations.” PhD Thesis, Kent State University, 2026. https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?url=https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send%3Faccession%3Dkent1783707428198823%26disposition%3Dinline&hl=en&sa=X&d=944786021718909251&ei=0KFaarGjOr6jieoPodiukAs&scisig=AM1tuoPUu9SPUQjZMyp4uOo3So0o&oi=scholaralrt&hist=L_3lnUkAAAAJ:7853525709053392938:AM1tuoPpFeo61qFyyEJQiqjSZo-q&html=&pos=0&folt=kw-top.
Taylor, Hila. “Gray Bat (Myotis Grisescens) Ecology and Movement in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.” PhD Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2026. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/items/53c53e4d-b496-4333-baa9-0ee60a605b6e.
Tal, Tohar, Allert I. Bijleveld, Karein Van Bijssum, Hidde Kressin, and Thomas K. Lameris. “Exploration Speed in Red Knots Affects Spring Migration Timing, but Only after Experimentally Constrained Fuelling Conditions.” International Journal of Avian Science, 2026, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.70098.
Lewis, Meredith A, Alex G Pellegrini, David F Brinker, and Gregory D Kearns. “Migratory Routing and Departure Decisions of Porzana Carolina (Sora): New Insights from the Motus Wildlife Tracking System.” Ornithology 142, no. 4 (October 1, 2025): ukaf022. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukaf022.
“Zotero | Your Personal Research Assistant.” Accessed August 1, 2026. https://www.zotero.org/download/.
Lagerveld, Sander, Julia Karagicheva, Pepijn De Vries, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Karina Stienstra, Bart C.A. Noort, Martin J.M. Poot, et al. “Stopover Departure Decisions and Movement Patterns of Migratory Bats during Autumn Migration.” Ecology, May 1, 2026. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.29.721682.
Chen, Yangkang, David L. Slager, Ethan Plunkett, Miguel Fuentes, Yuting Deng, Stuart A. Mackenzie, Lucas E. Berrigan, et al. “Population-Level Migration Modeling of North America’s Birds through Data Integration with BirdFlow.” Movement Ecology 14, no. 1 (April 30, 2026): 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-026-00651-z.
Cousineau, Anne-Marie. “Winter Survival and Urban Green Space Use of the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis).” Master of Science, McGill University, 2025. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/j3860d74p.
Martinez, Aketzali Marinez. “Flammulated Owl (Psiloscops Flammeolus) and Its Monitoring by the Motus System,” n.d. https://www.northernarizonaaudubon.org/resources/Documents/Motus%20Student%20Grants%20Report-Aketzali%20Marti%CC%81nez%20Flammulated%20Owl%20-%20English.docx.pdf.
Prichard, Mackenzie R., Levin C. Brandt, and Susan N. Ellis-Felege. “Leveraging Automated Radio Telemetry to Understand Avian Presence on a Military Airfield.” Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2026. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2026.1789749/abstract.
Warnock, Nils, Scott A. Flemming, Sydney E. Bliss, Mary Anne Bishop, John Y. Takekawa, Brett K. Sandercock, Sarah E. Warnock, and Mark C. Drever. “Three Decades of Western Sandpiper Stopover Dynamics during Northward Migration on the Pacific Coast of North America, 1992–2022.” Journal of Avian Biology 2026, no. 2 (March 2026): e03579. https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03579.
Schwarz, Maddy, Jeremy Reinhard, and Josh Scullen. “Western Snowy Plover and California Least Tern Monitoring in the San Francisco Bay Annual Report 2025,” February 27, 2026. https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?url=https://www.sfbbo.org/uploads/1/1/6/7/116792187/sfbbo_wspl_and_clte_monitoring_in_the_sf_bay_annual_report_2025__2026-02-27_v2_.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&d=5460978485545362537&ei=FpW6afGWDbPQ6rQPmPiuwAg&scisig=AFtJQix4wOwUVHTCFlcUzqaf4dIT&oi=scholaralrt&hist=L_3lnUkAAAAJ:10291767956877640578:AFtJQixeeXprfP_feMGvzPb1la8h&html=&pos=1&folt=kw-top.
Brodie, Ryan E, Nicholas J Bayly, Ruth E Bennett, Than J Boves, Anna Buckardt Thomas, William V Deluca, Kevin C Fraser, et al. “Multi-Phase Migration Models for Nearctic–Neotropical Migrant Birds Can Inform Conservation Planning.” Ornithological Applications, March 11, 2026, duag030. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duag030.
Brenner, Stephen J., and Joel G. Jorgensen. “Migration Ecology of Harris’s Sparrow in Nebraska: 2025 Update Report,” 2025. https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?url=https://birds.outdoornebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Migration-Ecology-of-Harriss-Sparrow-in-Nebraska-2025-Update-Report.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&d=9557987983090921133&ei=zxaqafeEF6qtieoPkuSC2AQ&scisig=AFtJQiwhxiOMXXa-egPCxrlxvt6Z&oi=scholaralrt&hist=L_3lnUkAAAAJ:10291767956877640578:AFtJQixeeXprfP_feMGvzPb1la8h&html=&pos=1&folt=kw-top.
Lagerveld, Sander, Pepijn De Vries, Eldar Rakhimberdiev, Jane Harris, Bart C.A. Noort, Steve C.V. Geelhoed, Frank van Langevelde, Fiona Mathews, Martin J.M. Poot, and Julia Karagicheva. “Directional Variation and Method-Specific Detection Patterns in Offshore Bat Migration: Implications for Wind Farm Mitigation,” February 7, 2026. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.06.704313.
Simard-Provençal, Samuelle, Oliver O Love, Rebecca J Jardine, Alysha Riquier, Patricia Rokitnicki, Sara Pearce Meikerink, François Vézina, Christina A.D. Semeniuk, and Emily A McKinnon. “Divergent Migration Strategies within a Population of Snow Buntings,” January 26, 2026. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-026-02366-9.
Brunner, Alicia Rae. “Impacts of Prolonged Breeding on the Post-Breeding Physiology, Autumn Departure Phenology and Migratory Behavior of a Neotropical Migratory Songbird.” PhD Thesis, Cornell University, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/openview/e074258f6b92086703a58f717d100692/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
Blain, Stephanie A, Hannah C Justen, and Kira E Delmore. “An Experimental Test for Ecologically Dependent Reproductive Isolation across an Avian Migratory Divide.” Edited by Trine Bilde and Scott Egan. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, December 17, 2025, voaf148. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeb/voaf148.
Jorgensen, Kyle. “Least Tern Abundance, Nesting Productivity, and Dispersal Between Nesting and On-and Off-River Foraging Sites in the Missouri National Recreational River.” Master’s Thesis, University of South Dakota, 2025. https://www.proquest.com/openview/495935ee280cf7ab9d8f4ffc26ab31d4/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y.
Lameris, Thomas K., Allert I. Bijleveld, Roeland A. Bom, Julia Karagicheva, Hidde Kressin, Eva M. A. Kok, Sander Lagerveld, Luc G. G. De Monte, Barbara Helm, and Theunis Piersma. “Experimentally Increased Food Availability Allows for Earlier Departure in a Long‐distance Migratory Shorebird.” Functional Ecology 39, no. 12 (September 2, 2025): 3434–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70183.
Vastani, Sarah A., Stephanie A. Blain, Hannah Justen, Wendy E. Easton, and Kira E. Delmore. “Predicting Migratory Survival in a Songbird Hybrid Zone Using Machine Learning.” Research Square, December 3, 2025. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8108392/v1.
Horn, Lisa C, Paul A Callo, and Bridget J M Stutchbury. “Breeding Site Departure and Post-Departure Movement Strategy in Vireo Olivaceus (Red-Eyed Vireo).” Ornithology, July 17, 2025, ukaf032. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukaf032.
Cooper, Nathan W., Scott W. Yanco, Clark S. Rushing, T. Scott Sillett, and Peter P. Marra. “Non-Breeding Conditions Induce Carry-over Effects on Survival of Migratory Birds.” Current Biology 34, no. 21 (November 4, 2024): 5097-5103.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.015.
Ely, Teresa E., Ryan P. Bourbour, Benjamin M. Dudek, Allen M. Fish, Angus C. Hull, Breanna L. Martinico, Shannon M. Skalos, Levi E. Souza, and Christopher W. Briggs. “Rings and Pings: Band Encounters and Motus Elucidate the Overwintering Locations and Movements of Sharp-Shinned Hawks in Western North America.” The Journal of Raptor Research 60, no. 1 (October 15, 2025). https://doi.org/10.3356/jrr2523.
Klinner, Thomas, Thiemo Karwinkel, Florian Packmor, and Heiko Schmaljohann. “Stopover Departure Decisions in Spring: Pre-Saharan Migrants Stay Longer and Are More Selective for Favourable Wind than Trans-Saharan Migrants.” Movement Ecology 13, no. 1 (September 22, 2025): 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00575-0.
Danyk, Kathryn, Devin De Zwaan, Julie Paquet, and Diana Hamilton. “Habitat Use and Local Movement of Staging Lesser Yellowlegs ( Tringa Flavipes ) Differ between Coastal and Inland Habitat in Atlantic Canada.” Journal of Field Ornithology 96, no. 3 (2025): art5. https://doi.org/10.5751/JFO-00659-960305.
Blain, Stephanie A., Hannah C. Justen, Wendy Easton, and Kira E. Delmore. “Reduced Hybrid Survival in a Migratory Divide between Songbirds.” Ecology Letters 27, no. 4 (April 2024): e14420. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14420.
Benvenuti, Bri, Adam Smith, Chris Elphick, Nick Ernst, Adrienne Kovach, Kathleen O’Brien, and Nancy Pau. “Automated Telemetry Reveals Migratory Movements and Stopover Timing of an Endangered Saltmarsh Passerine.” Avian Conservation and Ecology 20, no. 2 (2025): art2. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02885-200202.
Mackenzie, Stuart A., and Philip D. Taylor. “Cooperative Automated Radio Telemetry: The Motus Widllife Tracking System in Ontario.” Ontario Birds 34, no. 2 (August 2016): 124–27. http://www.ofo.ca/library/view/id/174.
Young, Kaitlyn. “Movement Ecology of Migratory Birds Using Motus Technology.” Master of Science, Purdue University, 2025. https://scholar.google.ca/scholar_url?url=https://hammer.purdue.edu/articles/thesis/_b_Movement_Ecology_of_Migratory_Birds_Using_Motus_Technology_b_/29661557/1/files/56696627.pdf&hl=en&sa=X&d=2822788846238624181&ei=z5GOaMGkBorUieoP86ubkAI&scisig=AAZF9b-9sAfwOO3jMiQCcw7ZfmCx&oi=scholaralrt&html=&pos=0&folt=kw-top.
Benvenuti, Bri, Adam D. Smith, Chris S. Elphick, Nick Ernst, Adrienne I. Kovach, Kathleen M. O’Brien, and Nancy Pau. “Automated Telemetry Reveals Migratory Movements and Stopover Timing of an Endangered Saltmarsh Passerine.” Avian Conservation and Ecology 20, no. 2 (July 29, 2025). https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02885-200202.
Khoo, Joel, Amelia MacDonald, Ingebjorg Jean Hansen, Cody Cox, Scott Ramsay, and Ken Otter. “The Influence of Migratory Routes, Breeding, and Wintering Grounds on Cultural Shifts in Song of White-Throated Sparrows ( Zonotrichia Albicollis ).” Journal of Field Ornithology 96, no. 2 (2025). https://doi.org/10.5751/jfo-00661-960209.
Bayly, Nicholas J, Sarah Kendrick, Ernesto Carman, María De La Paz Angulo-Irola, Yuly Caicedo-Ortiz, and Stuart Mackenzie. “Wetter and More Forested Nonbreeding Areas Result in Later Departures but a Faster Spring Migration in Vermivora Chrysoptera (Golden-Winged Warbler).” Ornithological Applications, May 23, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf036.
Fraser, Sophia M., Devin R. De Zwaan, Hilary A. R. Mann, Julie Paquet, and Diana J. Hamilton. “Effects of Severe Weather on Shorebirds: Evidence of Disrupted Refueling and Delayed Departure on Southbound Migration.” Ecosphere 16, no. 7 (July 9, 2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70329.
Morbey, Yolanda, Kevin Hannah, Jeffrey Costa, Jackson Kusack, and Stuart Mackenzie. “In the Clear: Weather Drives the Northward Movement of American Tree Sparrows ( Spizelloides Arborea ) as Spring Progresses.” Journal of Field Ornithology 96, no. 3 (2025). https://doi.org/10.5751/jfo-00629-960301.
Rüppel, Georg, Vera Brust, Heiko Schmaljohann, and Thiemo Karwinkel. “Movetrack: An R Package to Model Flight Paths from Radio-Telemetry Networks,” July 3, 2025. https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/9572/.
Amichai, Eran, Gregory M. Forcey, Michelle Vukovich, and Julia R. Willmott. “Multi-Sensor Arrays Provide Complementary Information on Bat Presence and Activity in the Offshore Environment.” Journal of North American Bat Research, no. 1 (2025): 75–88. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eran-Amichai/publication/391981358_Multi-sensor_Arrays_Provide_Complementary_Information_on_Bat_Presence_and_Activity_in_the_Offshore_Environment/links/682f3f9abe1b507dce8df3f9/Multi-sensor-Arrays-Provide-Complementary-Information-on-Bat-Presence-and-Activity-in-the-Offshore-Environment.pdf.
O’Connor, Cailin. “Tracking Fall Migration with the Motus Wildlife Tracking System: The Fate of Window-Struck and Captive-Raised Passerines.” Doctor of Philosophy, Montclair State University, 2025. https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1573/.
Piper, Cameron. “Home Range, Habitat Use, and Fall Migration of Lewis’s Woodpeckers in the Eastern Cascade Range, Oregon.” Master of Science, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, 2025. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2302.
MacNearney, Doug, Emma Davis, Jennie Rausch, Erica Nol, H. Grant Gilchrist, Josiah Nakoolak, Ken Abraham, et al. “Long-Term Monitoring of Arctic Coastal Ecology at the East Bay Mainland Research Station, in Qaqsauqtuuq Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Nunavut.” Arctic Science, May 13, 2025, as-2025-0013. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2025-0013.
Nemes, Claire E, Andrea M Lindsay, Lucas W DeGroote, and Emily B Cohen. “Close Encounters: Behavioral Responses of Migrating Songbirds to the Perceived Risk of Predation.” Edited by Emilie Snell-Rood. Behavioral Ecology 36, no. 3 (February 17, 2025): araf012. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf012.
Ausems, Anne N. M. A., Hannah MacKellar, Glen S. Brown, and Erica Nol. “Sex-Specific Variation in Breeding-Ground Departure Decisions and Detection Rates during Southbound Migration in West Atlantic Flyway Whimbrels (Numenius Phaeopus).” Scientific Reports 15, no. 1 (February 25, 2025): 6735. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90388-3.
Griffin, Andrea S., Callum Gapes, Louise A. Williams, Mattea Taylor, Rob Kyte, Greg Little, and Judith Little. “Using Motus Automated Telemetry to Quantify Habitat Use and Movement in a Far Eastern Curlew within the Hunter Estuary, NSW, Australia.” The Whistler 19 (March 17, 2025). https://www.hboc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Far-Eastern-Curlew-trackingThe-Whistler-Vol-19.pdf.
Lameris, Thomas, Allert Bijleveld, Roeland Bom, Julia Karagicheva, Hidde Kressin, Eva Kok, Sander Lagerveld, Luc de Monte, Barbara Helm, and Theunis Piersma. “Sufficient Food Is Critical for a Long-Distant Migratory Shorebird to Advance Migration Phenology,” March 31, 2025. https://d197for5662m48.cloudfront.net/documents/publicationstatus/251947/preprint_pdf/4ded82cf438a48d58c3bc37ed6b4e48f.pdf.
Mitchell, Lucy, Vera Brust, Thiemo Karwinkel, Susanne Åkesson, Dmitry Kishkinev, Gabriel Norevik, Tibor Szep, et al. “Conservation‐focused Mapping of Avian Migratory Routes Using a Pan‐European Automated Telemetry Network.” Conservation Biology, March 24, 2025, e70017. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70017.
Boyd, Brendan P., Sue M. Hayes, Anna Agazzi Migotto, and Bridget J. M. Stutchbury. “Age-Related Differences in Fall Migration Timing and Performance of Juvenile and Adult Wood Thrushes Departing from a Breeding Site.” Movement Ecology 13, no. 1 (May 6, 2025): 32. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-025-00556-3.
Brinkløv, Signe M.M., Astrid Særmark Uebel, Esben T Fjederholt, and Morten Elmeros. “Sensitivity Mapping of Relative Risks to Bats from Danish Offshore Wind Energy.” Aarhus University, February 2025. https://dce.au.dk/fileadmin/dce.au.dk/Udgivelser/Tekniske_rapporter_300-349/TR332.pdf.
Davidson, Josh. “Examining the Predictors of White-Throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia Albicollis) Spring Departure Date.” Bachelor of Science, The Ohio State University, 2025. https://kb.osu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/914d5b7c-e084-4e6f-b1c0-82a00a5dd4a6/content.
Walker, Jacob, Jean-François Therrien, Camille Bégin-Marchand, Pascal Côté, Alexandre Terrigeol, François Gagnon, and Junior A. Tremblay. “Insights from a Decade of Using the Motus Network to Track Boreal Bird Species from Observatoire d’oiseaux de Tadoussac, Québec to Temperate and Tropical Wintering Grounds.” Journal of Field Ornithology 96, no. 2 (2025): art2. https://doi.org/10.5751/JFO-00605-960202.
Mitchell, Lucy, Vera Brust, Thiemo Karwinkel, Susanne Åkesson, Dmitry Kishkinev, Gabriel Norevik, Tibor Szep, et al. “Conservation‐focused Mapping of Avian Migratory Routes Using a pan‐European Automated Telemetry Network.” Conservation Biology, March 24, 2025, e70017. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70017.