Missouri is part of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System — a global network of automated radio telemetry stations that detects the movements of migratory birds, bats, and large insects. When a Motus-tagged animal passes within range of any station worldwide, its signal is recorded and shared. The Missouri Department of Conservation operates 37 Motus stations across the state, contributing to hemisphere-wide coverage that stretches from Canada to South America.
By the Numbers (2026)
40 Missouri Motus Network stations, 6 local Brown-headed Nuthatch Motus stations in the Ozarks
- 70 species detected
- 905 animals detected
2,403 active receivers worldwide
34 countries in the global network
492 species tagged globally
1,159 Projects
279 Publications
How Motus Works
Motus uses ultra-lightweight radio tags — small enough for declining songbirds — coded to a shared global frequency. Any receiver anywhere in the world can detect any tag. A researcher in Colombia and a station along the Missouri River are listening on the same channel. This collaborative design means a single team doesn't need to place stations across an entire migratory route; anyone who installs a receiver adds to the global picture. Between 2016 and 2025, the network grew more than 500%, from 325 stations to over 2,300 in 34 countries.
Missouri's Motus Network
MDC has built the Missouri Motus Network in two east-west arrays — "digital fences" designed to intercept tagged animals as they move north and south through the state during migration. The northern array spans the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region, roughly following U.S. Hwy 36. The southern array runs through the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Region, roughly following U.S. Hwy 60. Additional stations are placed near the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, along the eastern border, and in the Ozarks.
Missouri sits along the Mississippi Flyway, one of four major North American migration corridors. The list below shows the ten species most frequently detected by Missouri Motus stations, ranked by the number of unique tagged individuals recorded. Data are from the Missouri Motus Network project plus 6 Brown-headed Nuthatch Motus stations in the Ozarks, last downloaded April 29, 2026, and are updated semi-annually following spring and fall migration.
- Wood Thrush (213 individuals) — Wood Thrush
- Swainson's Thrush (203 individuals)
- Eastern Whip-poor-will (42 individuals) — Whip-poor-will
- Black Tern (37 individuals) Black Tern
- Veery (33 individuals)
- American Kestrel (29 individuals) American Kestrel
- Franklin's Gull (28 individuals)
- Common Nighthawk (27 individuals)
- Golden-winged Warbler (19 individuals) Golden-winged Warbler
- Sora (17 individuals)
Wood Thrush Migration Study
Wood Thrush is considered a high-priority species in 25 U.S. states and is listed as threatened in Canada. Despite decades of conservation work, populations continue to decline. To better target future efforts, an international team of more than 60 partners from 27 U.S. states, Ontario, Mexico, and four Central American countries deployed over 1,000 Motus tags on Wood Thrush across their breeding range and wintering grounds between 2024 and 2025 — the largest coordinated Motus study across any species' full range to date. Missouri's 37-station network has detected 204 of these tagged birds as they move through the state. The project is led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and SELVA, a Colombian bird conservation organization and long-time MDC Southern Wings partner.
Brown-headed Nuthatch Reintroduction
Brown-headed Nuthatches were likely extirpated from Missouri in the early 20th century when extensive logging removed more than two million hectares of shortleaf pine woodland from the Ozarks. MDC and conservation partners have been working to bring them back since 2020, translocating birds from the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas to the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. A cluster of six Motus stations in the core reintroduction area tracks tagged nuthatches in near-real time, revealing movement patterns and social grouping. Early data show birds exploring up to 27 miles from the original release site.
Of Missouri's approximately 170 breeding bird species, 58 leave the United States entirely for up to eight months each year. MDC has supported international full annual cycle conservation since 2009 through the AFWA Southern Wings program, investing in habitat and research in Mexico, Central America, and South America where Missouri birds spend the winter. Motus data — showing where birds go when they leave Missouri, how fast they travel, and where they stop to rest — directly informs where those investments are most needed.