Series of three images of a Northern Saw-whet Owl in mid-flight against a black background. A Motus tag is attached to its back.

Publications Library

Peer-reviewed publications by Motus collaborators which have used Motus data.

Credit:Brock and Sherri Fenton

Attribution Guidelines

Whenever Motus data is used for purposes outside of the Motus platform, projects, collaborators and organizations must be properly acknowledged. Project citations should be used anytime Motus data is used or displayed outside of the Motus platform (see below for more information). Please review the Motus Collaboration Policy for more information regarding data use, project citation and acknowledgement.

Displaying 1 - 50 of 62 results

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2025-05-06
Age-related differences in fall migration timing and performance of juvenile and adult Wood Thrushes departing from a breeding site

Brendan P. Boyd, Sue M. Hayes, Anna Agazzi Migotto, Bridget J. M. Stutchbury

Departure decisions Flight speed Migratory speed Movement Ecology
2025
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

Jacob Walker, Jean-François Therrien, Camille Bégin-Marchand, Pascal Côté, Alexandre Terrigeol, François Gagnon, Junior A. Tremblay

Flight distance Flight speed Individual path choice Migratory phenology Stopover duration Journal of Field Ornithology
2024-12-21
Euphagus carolinus (Rusty Blackbird) from two different breeding populations in northeastern North America exhibit chain migration yet use the same region for stopover

Jacob Walker, Camille Bégin-Marchand, Alexandre Terrigeol, Jean-François Therrien, Pascal Côté, Levi Burford, Carol R Foss, Junior A Tremblay

Departure decisions Flight speed Migratory connectivity Migratory phenology Site importance Stopover duration Ornithological Applications
2024-12-18
Migratory movements of bats are shaped by barrier effects, sex-biased timing and the adaptive use of winds

Sander Lagerveld, Pepijn De Vries, Jane Harris, Sue Parsons, Elisabeth Debusschere, Ommo Hüppop, Vera Brust, Heiko Schmaljohann

Ecological barrier Flight altitude Flight orientation Flight speed Weather Movement Ecology
2024-10-01
Migratory behaviour of Ipswich Sparrows during spring

Sydney Bliss, Marty Leonard, Zoe Crysler, Phil Taylor

Departure decisions Flight distance Flight speed Stopover duration Canadian Journal of Zoology
2024-05-15
A refined magnetic pulse treatment method for magnetic navigation experiments with adequate sham control: a case study on free-flying songbirds

Thiemo Karwinkel, Michael Winklhofer, Dario Allenstein, Vera Brust, Paula Christoph, Richard A. Holland, Ommo Hüppop, Jan Steen, Franz Bairlein, Heiko Schmaljohann

Flight navigation Migratory phenology Journal of The Royal Society Interface
2024-04-30
Mapping seasonal migration in a songbird hybrid zone -- heritability, genetic correlations, and genomic patterns linked to speciation

Hannah C. Justen, Wendy E. Easton, Kira E. Delmore

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Flight orientation Migratory phenology Migratory physiology Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2024-04-23
Ecological drivers of songbird stopover behaviour during migration in eastern New Brunswick

Andrew T. Beauchamp

Activity patterns Departure decisions Displacement Flight orientation Migratory physiology Stopover duration Weather -
2024
Antipredator Nest-Defense Behaviour and Post-Breeding Migration of Two Poorly Understood Subarctic Breeding Shorebirds, the Short-Billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus hendersoni) and the Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)

Olivia R. Maillet

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Departure decisions Flight orientation Flight speed Stopover duration -
2024
Lake-crossing behavior of migratory songbirds: Assessing potential collision risk with offshore wind on Lake Erie

Zoe Olivia Korpi

Ecological barrier Flight orientation -
2023-11-16
Springing forward: Migrating songbirds catch up with the start of spring in North America

Claire E. Nemes, Peter P. Marra, Theodore J. Zenzal Jr, Samantha A. Collins, Bryant C. Dossman, Alexander R. Gerson, Camila Gómez, Ana M. González, Mariamar Gutierrez Ramirez, Sarah A. Hamer, Joseph Marty, Phillip L. Vasseur, Emily B. Cohen

Flight speed Migratory phenology Migratory speed Journal of Animal Ecology
2023-07-10
Spring migration patterns of red knots in the Southeast United States disentangled using automated telemetry

Adam D. Smith, Felicia J. Sanders, Kara L. Lefevre, Janet M. Thibault, Kevin S. Kalasz, Maina C. Handmaker, Fletcher M. Smith, Tim S. Keyes

Flight speed Individual path choice Site importance Stopover duration Weather Scientific Reports
2023-05-01
Songbirds initiate migratory flights synchronously relative to civil dusk

Nathan W. Cooper, Bryant C. Dossman, Lucas E. Berrigan, J. Morgan Brown, Alicia R. Brunner, Helen E. Chmura, Dominic A. Cormier, Camille Bégin-Marchand, Amanda D. Rodewald, Philip D. Taylor, Christopher M. Tonra, Junior A. Tremblay, Peter P. Marra

Departure decisions Flight navigation Flight orientation Migratory phenology Movement Ecology
2023-04-21
Age and Sex Differences in Stopover Behaviours and Flight Performance in Black-throated Blue Warblers

Patricia Rokitnicki

Departure decisions Flight speed Individual path choice Migration range Stopover duration Weather -
2023
Moving the goalposts: migratory birds in a changing world

Claire E. Nemes

Activity patterns Flight speed Migratory phenology Migratory speed Urban landscapes -
2023
British Islands Bats

Bat Conservation Trust

Activity patterns Ecological barrier Flight speed Individual path choice -
2022-10-28
Migratory behavior of Ontario-breeding Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) revealed by the Motus Wildlife Tracking System

Lisa C. Horn, Heidi E.J. van Vliet, D. Ryan Norris, Bridget J.M. Stutchbury

Flight orientation Individual path choice Migratory phenology Survival The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
2022-09-23
Do departure and flight route decisions correlate with immune parameters in migratory songbirds?

Vera Brust, Cas Eikenaar, Florian Packmor, Heiko Schmaljohann, Ommo Hüppop, Gábor Á. Czirják

Body condition Departure decisions Disease Flight distance Individual path choice Migratory physiology Stopover duration Functional Ecology
2022-08-23
Investigating the plasticity of migration timing and roost behaviours to environmental variability and parental care in a colonial songbird

Christophe Turcotte-van de Rydt

Activity patterns Colony attendance Flight speed Weather -
2022-05
Fall Migratory Behaviour and Cross-Seasonal Interactions in Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) Breeding in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada

Marley Aikens

Departure decisions Flight orientation Migratory connectivity Migratory phenology Site importance Stopover duration -
2022-02-16
No apparent effect of a magnetic pulse on free-flight behaviour in northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) at a stopover site

Thiemo Karwinkel, Michael Winklhofer, Paula Christoph, Dario Allenstein, Ommo Hüppop, Vera Brust, Franz Bairlein, Heiko Schmaljohann

Departure decisions Flight navigation Flight orientation Migratory phenology Journal of The Royal Society Interface
2022-01-20
Using automated telemetry to identify population connectivity and migration phenology of Snowy Plovers breeding in the Southern Great Plains

Kristen M. Heath-Acre, Clint W. Boal, Daniel P. Collins, Warren C. Conway, William P. Johnson

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Flight speed Migratory connectivity Migratory phenology Site importance Journal of Field Ornithology
2021-10-13
Underestimated scale of songbird offshore migration across the south-eastern North Sea during autumn

Vera Brust, Ommo Hüppop

Migration strategy Ecological barrier Flight orientation Individual path choice Journal of Ornithology
2021-07-01
Autumn migratory timing and pace are driven by breeding season carryover effects

Tara L. Imlay, Hilary A. R. Mann, Philip D. Taylor

Carry-over effects Flight speed Migratory phenology Migratory speed Animal Behaviour
2021-04-02
Factors Influencing Stopover and Movement of Migratory Songbirds within the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

Jessica Tatten

Migration strategy Flight speed Individual path choice Stopover duration -
2021-02-15
Effects of early-life exposure to sublethal levels of a common neonicotinoid insecticide on the orientation and migration of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

Alana A. E. Wilcox, Amy E. M. Newman, Nigel E. Raine, Greg W. Mitchell, D. Ryan Norris

Contaminants Flight navigation Flight orientation Journal of Experimental Biology
2021-01-01
Captive-reared migratory monarch butterflies show natural orientation when released in the wild

Alana A E Wilcox, Amy E M Newman, Nigel E Raine, Greg W Mitchell, D Ryan Norris

Biodiversity management Flight orientation Conservation Physiology
2021-01
Tracking Movements of Migratory Shorebirds in the US Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Region

P. H. Loring, A. K. Lenske, J. D. McLaren, M. Aikens, A. M. Anderson, Y. Aubrey, E. Dalton, A. Dey, C. Friis, D. Hamilton

Biodiversity management Departure decisions Flight altitude Flight orientation Individual path choice Weather -
2020-07-08
A quasi-experimental approach using telemetry to assess migration-strategy-specific differences in the decision-making processes at stopover

Heiko Schmaljohann, Thomas Klinner

Body condition Departure decisions Flight orientation Migratory physiology Stopover duration BMC Ecology
2020-06-22
Supportive wind conditions influence offshore movements of Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers during fall migration

Pamela H. Loring, James D. McLaren, Holly F. Goyert, Peter W. C. Paton

Biodiversity management Departure decisions Flight altitude Flight orientation Flight speed The Condor
2020-05-07
Potential threats to the conservation of eastern North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and a tool for population recovery

Alana Wilcox

Biodiversity management Contaminants Flight orientation -
2020-04-15
Using Automated Radio-Telemetry to Assess Spring Migratory Ecology and Survival of Ipswich Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis princeps)

Sydney Bliss

Ecological barrier Flight orientation Individual path choice Migratory phenology Site importance Survival -
2020-04-01
There's no place like home: tropical overwintering sites may have a fundamental role in shaping migratory strategies

Nicholas J. Bayly, D. Ryan Norris, Philip D. Taylor, Keith A. Hobson, Andrea Morales-Rozo

Migration strategy Displacement Flight orientation Individual path choice Migration range Migratory phenology Migratory physiology Migratory speed Site fidelity Animal Behaviour
2020-02-07
The fall migratory movements of Bank Swallows, Riparia riparia: fly-and-forage migration?

Tara Imlay, Sarah Saldanha, Philip Taylor

Migration strategy Flight orientation Individual path choice Migratory speed Avian Conservation and Ecology
2019-10-16
Contrasting patterns of post-fledging movements of two sympatric warbler species with different life-history strategies

Dominic A. Cormier, Philip D. Taylor

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Displacement Ecological barrier Flight orientation Post-fledging latency Journal of Avian Biology
2019-08-19
Predictable shorebird departure patterns from a staging site can inform collision risks and mitigation of wind energy developments

Jessica E. Howell, Ann E. McKellar, Richard H. M. Espie, Christy A. Morrissey

Biodiversity management Flight orientation Flight speed Migratory phenology Ibis
2019-07-26
Radio-tracking reveals how wind and temperature influence the pace of daytime insect migration

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Contaminants Flight distance Flight speed Weather Biology Letters
2019-07-09
Migration Distance and Body Condition Influence Shorebird Migration Strategies and Stopover Decisions During Southbound Migration

Alexandra M. Anderson, Sjoerd Duijns, Paul A. Smith, Christian Friis, Erica Nol

Migration strategy Body condition Carry-over effects Departure decisions Flight speed Individual path choice Migration range Migratory physiology Stopover duration Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
2019-07-01
Long-distance migratory shorebirds travel faster towards their breeding grounds, but fly faster post-breeding

Sjoerd Duijns, Alexandra M. Anderson, Yves Aubry, Amanda Dey, Scott A. Flemming, Charles M. Francis, Christian Friis, Cheri Gratto-Trevor, Diana J. Hamilton, Rebecca Holberton, Stephanie Koch, Ann E. McKellar, David Mizrahi, Christy A. Morrissey, Sarah G. Neima, David Newstead, Larry Niles, Erica Nol, Julie Paquet, Jennie Rausch, Lindsay Tudor, Yves Turcotte, Paul A. Smith

Migration strategy Flight orientation Flight speed Migratory speed Stopover duration Weather Scientific Reports
2019-04
Tracking Offshore Occurrence of Common Terns, Endangered Roseate Terns, and Threatened Piping Plovers with VHF Arrays

P. H. Loring, P. W. C. Paton, J. D. McLaren, H. Bai, R. Janaswamy, H. F. Goyert, C. R. Griffin, P. R. Sievert

Biodiversity management Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Departure decisions Flight altitude Individual path choice Weather Sterling (VA): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. OCS Study BOEM
2019-02-28
Stopover departure behavior and flight orientation of spring-migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) experimentally exposed to methylmercury

Chad L. Seewagen, Yanju Ma, Yolanda E. Morbey, Christopher G. Guglielmo

Contaminants Departure decisions Flight orientation Migratory physiology Stopover duration Journal of Ornithology
2019
Comprendre la stratégie migratoire de trois espèces de grives du genre Catharus à l'aide d'un réseau innovateur de radio-télémétrie

Camille Bégin Marchand

Migration strategy Flight distance Individual path choice Migratory speed -
2018-05-14
Post-breeding movements of Swainson’s Thrush in Southern Nova Scotia

Lucas Berrigan

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Departure preparation Flight navigation Individual path choice Migratory speed -
2018-05-10
Potential age differences in the migratory behaviour of a nocturnal songbird migrant during autumn and spring

Heiko Schmaljohann, Florian Müller, Thomas Klinner, Cas Eikenaar

Departure decisions Flight orientation Migratory phenology Journal of Avian Biology
2018-04-25
Automated telemetry reveals staging behavior in a declining migratory passerine

James R. Wright, Luke L. Powell, Christopher M. Tonra

Migration strategy Flight distance Flight speed Migratory phenology Site fidelity Stopover duration The Auk
2018-03-05
Nocturnal departure timing in songbirds facing distinct migratory challenges

Florian Müller, Cas Eikenaar, Zoe J. Crysler, Philip D. Taylor, Heiko Schmaljohann

Departure decisions Departure preparation Ecological barrier Flight distance Flight orientation The Journal of Animal Ecology
2018-02
Tracking Migratory Bird Movements in the Gulf of Maine with Automated Radio Telemetry and Stable Hydrogen Isotope Markers

Jennifer Smetzer

Migration strategy Activity patterns Colony attendance Flight orientation Individual path choice Site importance Stopover duration -
2017-11-20
Testing traditional assumptions about regional migration in bats

Jennifer J. Krauel, Liam P. McGuire, Justin G. Boyles

Migration strategy Activity patterns Flight speed Individual path choice Mammal Research
2017-11-15
Body condition explains migratory performance of a long-distance migrant

Sjoerd Duijns, Lawrence J. Niles, Amanda Dey, Yves Aubry, Christian Friis, Stephanie Koch, Alexandra M. Anderson, Paul A. Smith

Biodiversity management Carry-over effects Departure decisions Flight speed Migratory phenology Migratory physiology Weather Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
2017-08-05
Fall migratory departure decisions and routes of Blackpoll Warblers Setophaga striata and Red-eyed Vireos Vireo olivaceus at a coastal barrier in the Gulf of Maine

Jennifer R. Smetzer, David I. King, Philip D. Taylor

Departure decisions Ecological barrier Flight orientation Individual path choice Site importance Journal of Avian Biology

Attribution Formatting

Project citation format:

[Institution | Collaborators]. [Project Name and Number]. [Years of project activity]. Data accessed from Motus Wildlife Tracking System, Birds Canada. Available: https://motus.org/. Accessed: [Date].

*Institutions or collaborators, project name and number, and years of project activity can be identified through project profiles on the Motus website.

Collaborators are encouraged to acknowledge Motus in any written work, popular or peer-reviewed publications, oral presentations, social media, or websites. Collaborators are also encouraged to acknowledge Motus as a program of Birds Canada in close collaboration with a diverse network of organizations, businesses and individuals.

If Motus tools (e.g. Motus website, visualizations, output tables) are used in your analysis or communications, the citation should be as follows:

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

Motus RBook citation:

Birds Canada (2024). motus: Fetch and use data from the Motus Wildlife Tracking System. https://motusWTS.github.io/motus/.

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