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 56 results

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Sort: Title Author Publication Date Publisher

2025-08
Movement Ecology of Migratory Birds Using Motus Technology

Kaitlyn Young

Departure decisions Site importance -
2025-05-23
Wetter and more forested nonbreeding areas result in later departures but a faster spring migration in Vermivora chrysoptera (Golden-winged Warbler)

Nicholas J Bayly, Sarah Kendrick, Ernesto Carman, María De La Paz Angulo-Irola, Yuly Caicedo-Ortiz, Stuart Mackenzie

Carry-over effects Departure decisions Migratory connectivity Migratory speed Site importance Weather Ornithological Applications
2025-05
Home range, habitat Use, and fall migration of Lewis’s woodpeckers in the Eastern Cascade Range, Oregon

Cameron Piper

Home range and territory Migration range Site importance -
2025-03-17
Using motus automated telemetry to quantify habitat use and movement in a Far Eastern Curlew within the Hunter Estuary, NSW, Australia

Andrea S. Griffin, Callum Gapes, Louise A. Williams, Mattea Taylor, Rob Kyte, Greg Little, Judith Little

Site importance The Whistler
2025
Lengths of Stay and Stopover Strategies of Western Sandpipers During Migration at Two Sites in British Columbia, Canada

Anne L. Blondin, Mark C. Drever, Scott A. Flemming, Wendy E. Easton, Mark Maftei, Yuri Zharikov, Nils Warnock, Erica Nol

Individual path choice Migratory physiology Site importance Stopover duration Ecology and Evolution
2025
Habitat use and local movement of staging Lesser Yellowlegs ( Tringa flavipes ) differ between coastal and inland habitat in Atlantic Canada

Kathryn Danyk, Devin De Zwaan, Julie Paquet, Diana Hamilton

Site importance 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
2024-11-20
Stopover regions, phenology, and spatiotemporal group dynamics of adult and juvenile common terns Sterna hirundo from inland lakes in North America

Annie Bracey, Fred Strand, Alexis Grinde, Francesca Cuthbert, Ann E. McKellar, David Moore, Elizabeth Craig, Simeon Lisovski

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Site importance Journal of Avian Biology
2024-09
Length of Stay and Habitat Use of Shorebirds at Two Migratory Stopover Sites in British Columbia, Canada

Anne L. Blondin

Migratory phenology Migratory physiology Site importance Stopover duration -
2024-08
The role of prealternate moult in nonbreeding period carry-over effects in neotropical migratory songbirds

Shae Turner

Carry-over effects Migratory phenology Site importance -
2024-08
Using emerging technologies to link resource use to plant communities for a migratory songbird, the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)

Diane June Klement

Site importance -
2024-05
Habitat use of Henslow’s Sparrows (Centronyx henslowii) in Southern Ohio

Gabriella A. Lindsey

Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Departure decisions Home range and territory Site importance -
2024-01-01
Peri-urban forest margins are important stopover sites for moult-migrating songbirds

Vanessa Poirier, Kyle H. Elliott, Barbara Frei

Home range and territory Site importance Stopover duration Urban landscapes Journal for Nature Conservation
2024
The Effects of Supplementary Bird Feeding on Space Use of Backyard Birds in San Antonio, Texas

Lauren Granger

Activity patterns Site importance -
2024
Understanding the spring migration ecology of sora and virginia rail in central illinois: a study utilizing automated telemetry

Chad A. Cremer

Activity patterns Departure decisions Site importance Stopover duration Weather -
2023-12-08
Irruptive fall migrations are linked to elevated breeding abundance but are not associated with body condition or stopover duration in Northern Saw-whet Owls

Shawn R Craik, Amélie Doucet, Mathieu Manuel, Chloé Roy, Taylor M Brown, Emilie J Knighton, Dave Shutler, Randy F Lauff, Danielle Ethier, Amy-Lee Kouwenberg, Philip D Taylor

Body condition Site importance Stopover duration Ornithology
2023-12-06
Evidence of differing staging strategies between adult and juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers highlights the importance of small staging sites in Atlantic Canada

Rebeca C Linhart, Diana J Hamilton, Julie Paquet, Cheri L Gratto-Trevor

Migration strategy Departure decisions Individual path choice Site importance Stopover duration Ornithology
2023-10-19
Moult migrant Tennessee Warblers undergo extensive stopover in peri-urban forests of southern Quebec

Vanessa Poirier, Barbara Frei, Mathilde Lefvert, Ana Morales, Kyle Hamish Elliott

Departure decisions Home range and territory Migratory phenology Site importance Stopover duration Urban landscapes Canadian Journal of Zoology
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
2023-01-01
How Does the Creation of Temporary Wetland Habitat on Agricultural Fields in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley Affect the Abundance of Migratory Shorebirds?

Emma McCarley Counce

Population estimates Site importance Stopover duration -
2023
South Atlantic Bight – a final stop for Ruddy Turnstones migrating to the Arctic

Felicia Sanders, Adam Smith, Janet Thibault, Deborah Carter, Maina Handmaker, Fletcher Smith

Migratory speed Site importance Stopover duration Weather Journal of Field Ornithology
2022-12-22
Variation in resource use between adult and juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) and use of physiological indicators for movement decisions highlights the importance of small staging sites during southbound migration in Atlantic Canada

Rebeca C. Linhart, Diana J. Hamilton, Julie Paquet, Sara C. Bellefontaine, Siena Davis, Parker B. Doiron, Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor

Site importance Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
2022-9-2
Length of stay and departure strategies of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) during post-breeding migration in the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada

Sarah G. Neima, Rebeca C. Linhart, Diana J. Hamilton, Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor, Julie Paquet

Departure decisions Site importance Stopover duration Weather Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
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 -
2022-03-25
Movement and habitat use of non-breeding Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) at the Banco dos Cajuais in Northeast Brazil

Rebeca C. Linhart, Diana J. Hamilton, Julie Paquet, J. Onofre N. Monteiro, Gabriela P. Ramires, Jason A. Mobley

Biodiversity management Industrial development Site importance Conservation Science and Practice
2022-02-03
Migration tactics and connectivity of a Nearctic-Neotropical migratory shorebird

John A. Herbert, David Mizrahi, Caz M. Taylor

Biodiversity management Departure decisions Ecological barrier Migratory connectivity Migratory speed Site importance Stopover duration Journal of Animal Ecology
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
2021-12
Endogenous and Exogenous Factors Influencing the Movement and Migratory Behaviors of a Wintering Songbird

Bryant Dossman

Carry-over effects Departure decisions Displacement Foray behaviour Migratory phenology Migratory speed Site importance Survival -
2021-11-15
Exploring the Strategies of First Migration in the Subarctic-Nesting Shorebird, Calidris Alpina Hudsonia

Victor Olek

Biodiversity management Departure decisions Displacement Migratory phenology Site importance -
2021-11-01
Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes

Ana M. González, Nicholas J. Bayly, Scott Wilson, Keith A. Hobson

Agricultural intensification Biodiversity management Site importance Survival Weather Ecological Indicators
2021-03-20
Roost sites of chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) form large-scale spatial networks

Courtney E. le Roux, Joseph J. Nocera

Social network Biodiversity management Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Colony attendance Site importance Ecology and Evolution
2021-01-22
Occurrence of a forest-dwelling bat, northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), within Canada’s largest conurbation

Toby J Thorne, Eryk Matczak, Melissa Donnelly, Maria C Franke, Kevin C R Kerr

Site importance Urban landscapes Journal of Urban Ecology
2021
Diurnal and nocturnal habitat preference of Eastern Whip-poor-wills (Antrostomus vociferous) in the northern portion of their breeding range

Elora R. M. Grahame, Kayla D. Martin, Elizabeth A. Gow, D. Ryan Norris

Biodiversity management Site importance Avian Conservation and Ecology
2021
Movements and Habitat Relationships of Virginia Rails and Soras within Impounded Coastal Wetlands of Northwest Ohio

Nicole M. Hengst

Departure decisions Home range and territory Individual path choice Reproductive success Residence time Site importance -
2021
Linking events across the annual cycle, in a Neotropical migratory songbird of conservation concern, the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)

Elizabeth Ames

Body condition Displacement Migratory phenology Reproductive success Site importance Survival -
2020-09-29
Earlier and slower or later and faster: Spring migration pace linked to departure time in a Neotropical migrant songbird

Ana M. González, Nicholas J. Bayly, Keith A. Hobson

Migratory phenology Migratory speed Site importance Journal of Animal Ecology
2020-09-15
Differences in Migration Timing along the Midcontinental Flyway in Sanderling (Calidris alba) from Three Gulf of Mexico Staging Areas

Kristin Bianchini, David J. Newstead, Christy A. Morrissey

Migration strategy Individual path choice Migratory phenology Migratory speed Site importance Stopover duration Waterbirds
2020-08-20
Hidden Long-Distance Movements by a Migratory Bird

Nathan W. Cooper, Peter P. Marra

Activity patterns Breeding and postbreeding dispersal Displacement Foray behaviour Site importance Current Biology
2020-05-21
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) fledglings use crop habitat more frequently in relation to its availability than pasture and other habitat types

Chloe K. Boynton, Nancy A. Mahony, Tony D. Williams

Agricultural intensification Biodiversity management Post-fledging latency Site importance Survival The Condor
2020-04-22
Intra- and interannual regional fidelity of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) during migratory stopover in the upper Bay of Fundy, Canada

Sarah Neima, Diana Hamilton, Cheri Gratto-Trevor, Julie Paquet

Activity patterns Biodiversity management Site fidelity Site importance Avian Conservation and Ecology
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 -
2020-01-23
Niche segregation among three sympatric species of swallows in southern Ontario

Kaelyn H. Bumelis

Biodiversity management Displacement Post-fledging latency Site importance -
2019-12-29
Biological and environmental factors related to communal roosting behavior of breeding Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)

Sarah Saldanha, Philip Taylor, Tara Imlay, Marty Leonard

Colony attendance Site importance Avian Conservation and Ecology
2019-09-26
Habitat‐dependent occupancy and movement in a migrant songbird highlights the importance of mangroves and forested lagoons in Panama and Colombia

Lesley Bulluck, Elizabeth Ames, Nicholas Bayly, Jessie Reese, Cathy Viverette, James Wright, Angela Caguazango, Christopher Tonra

Site importance Survival Ecology and Evolution
2019-09-13
Automated VHF Radiotelemetry Revealed Site-Specific Differences in Fall Migration Strategies of Semipalmated Sandpipers on Stopover in the Gulf of Maine

Rebecca L. Holberton, Philip D. Taylor, Lindsay M. Tudor, Kathleen M. O'Brien, Glen H. Mittelhauser, Ana Breit

Biodiversity management Site importance Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
2019-09-03
Tracking landscape-scale movements of Snow Buntings and weather-driven changes in flock composition during the temperate winter

Emily Anne McKinnon, Marie-Pier Laplante, Oliver Love, Kevin C. Fraser, Stuart Mackenzie, François Vézina

Activity patterns Site importance Weather Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
2019-03-27
Spring Shorebird Migration Chronology and Stopover Duration at an Important Staging Site in the North American Central Flyway

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

Population estimates Site importance Stopover duration Waterbirds
2018-10-26
Assessment of Shorebird Migratory Fueling Physiology and Departure Timing in Relation to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Contamination in the Gulf of Mexico

Kristin Bianchini, Christy A. Morrissey

Biodiversity management Contaminants Site importance Stopover duration Environmental Science & Technology
2018-08-01
Bat Use of an Island off the Coast of Massachusetts

Zara R. Dowling, Danielle I. O'Dell

Activity patterns Biodiversity management Site importance Northeastern Naturalist
2018-06-21
Field test of an automated radio-telemetry system: tracking local space use of aerial insectivores

Ariel K. Lenske, Joseph J. Nocera

Biodiversity management Site importance Journal of Field Ornithology

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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