<b>Movement Ecology of Migratory Birds Using Motus Technology</b>

<p dir="ltr">The study of movement ecology is undergoing a renaissance driven by new technologies, such as automated radio telemetry through the Motus Wildlife Tracking Network. Motus enables monitoring of tagged individuals across a network of receiver towers, eliminating the need for hand-held tracking while providing insights into animal movement throughout their entire annual cycle. This has greatly advanced our understanding of migratory bird ecology across species’ ranges. For my master’s thesis, I utilized Motus technology to investigate the movement ecology of two migratory species with significant knowledge gaps: the Eastern Towhee (<i>Pipilo erythrophthalmus</i>) and Northern Saw-whet Owl (<i>Aegolius acadicus</i>). As described in the first chapter, we tagged 15 Eastern Towhees during summer 2024 to reveal when they departed their breeding territories in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA. Our sample of birds left earlier than anticipated, with an average departure date of 17 July, potentially due to molt migration or exploratory movements. In the second chapter, we tagged 10 Northern Saw-whet Owls during fall 2024 to identify overwintering individuals at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. We tracked overwintering owls to 21 unique roost sites and conducted vegetation surveys of roost sites versus 21 random, available locations. Our analysis revealed that owl roost site selection was significantly influenced by greater vegetation density, particularly in the understory. Together, these studies demonstrate how Motus technology allows researchers to learn more about the entire annual cycle of individual species, at a time when anthropogenic pressures threaten migratory bird populations.</p>