A new antenna on the International Space Station and receptors on the Argos satellite are allowing scientists to remotely monitor small animal and songbird.
With new technological advances, including smaller, lighter tracking chips, scientists can tag a larger variety of bird species. The data from these tags, which can be retrieved without re-capture, may solve mysteries about migratory patterns and population decline.
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June 10, 2021 Share
TAKOMA PARK, Md. A plump robin wearing a tiny metal backpack with an antenna hops around a suburban yard in Takoma Park, then plucks a cicada from the ground for a snack.
Ecologist Emily Williams watches through binoculars from behind a bush. On this clear spring day, she’s snooping on his dating life. “Now I’m watching to see whether he’s found a mate,” she said, scrutinizing his interactions with another robin in a nearby tree.
Once the bird moves on at season’s end, she’ll rely on the backpack to beam frequent location data to the Argos satellite, then back to Williams’ laptop, to track it.