Nanotagging Birds at Finca Cántaros, Costa Rica
On Sunday morning, March 29, Menunkatuck will live-stream the nanotagging of some birds from the Finca Cántaros Environmental Association banding station in southwest Costa Rica. Join us on Zoom at 9:00 am to learn more about how birds are captured and fitted with the nanotags, and discover how the work of our partners in Latin America will help us bend the bird curve.
Nanotags are tiny, lightweight radio transmitters that periodically send out a uniquely identifiable radio signal (“ping”). Because they are lightweight, they can be attached to small animals, including small songbirds.
Motus towers are ground-based receiving stations with antennas designed to detect signals from nanotags when a tagged animal flies within approximately 15 km (9 miles).
When a tagged animal passes near a tower, the tower detects the tag ID and the time of detection. The data are uploaded to the Motus database, where researchers from many organizations can access them.
Audubon and its chapters and partners have adopted Motus and nanotag tracking to better understand migration in ways that were previously impossible.
Data from detections at different towers helps us understand migration timing (when birds leave or arrive), stopover behavior (where they rest and refuel), and routes (the paths they take).
Menunkatuck Audubon purchased 19 Lotek nanotags, and our colleague John Hannon brought them to Finca Cántaros. The tags will be put on such wintering migrants as Swainson’s Thrush in the next week. As the birds return north for the breeding season, they will ping Motus towers along their routes, providing insights into their specific migratory paths.
