Migratory Bird Tracking Could Boost Conservation Efforts for the Wood Thrush
CLINTON COUNTY, IOWA, JUL 18 – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources tagged 27 wood thrushes in 2024 to track migration and address a 50% population decline over 50 years, aiding conservation efforts.
- In 2024, conservation staff in Iowa tagged 27 wood thrushes with tracking devices to monitor their migration patterns across North America and beyond.
- This tagging effort expanded a global Motus tracking network, aiming to understand wood thrush declines that have exceeded 50% over the past 50 years.
- Data revealed birds traveling through multiple Motus stations, with some detected in Belize during winter and others returning to Iowa during spring migration.
- DNR reported 607 detections of 340 individual birds from 39 species in Iowa since 2021, and stated the state is a crucial migratory corridor hosting up to one billion birds in fall.
- These findings support expanding the Motus program to a 42-station fence across Iowa to improve conservation strategies for wood thrushes and other migratory birds.
13 Articles
13 Articles
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Migratory bird tracking could boost conservation efforts for the wood thrush • Iowa Capital Dispatch
Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff put a Motus tag on a wood thrush to track its migration, in the hopes of learning important information about the bird. (Photo courtesy of DNR's YouTube channel)The Iowa Department of Natural Resources participates in a global network that uses small tags and antenna receivers to track migratory patterns of birds, bats and insects, and it has recorded 607 detections of 340 individuals from 39 bird speci…

Migratory bird tracking could boost conservation efforts for the wood thrush
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources participates in a global network that uses small tags and antenna receivers to track migratory patterns of birds, bats and insects, and it has recorded 607 detections of 340 individuals from 39 bird species…
Migratory bird tracking could boost conservation efforts for the wood...
Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff put a Motus tag on a wood thrush to track its migration, in the hopes of learning important information about the bird. (Photo courtesy of DNR's YouTube channel)The Iowa Department of Natural Resources participates in a global network that uses small tags and antenna receivers to track migratory patterns [...] The post Migratory bird tracking could boost conservation efforts for the wood… appeared first…
Spring waterfowl survey shows positive results
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced data is now available from the annual spring survey of breeding waterfowl. The survey indicated stable population numbers and habitat conditions for migratory birds.
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