The Kansas Motus network is...

... a collaborative effort, spearheaded by Alice Boyle (Kansas State ​University), Bill Jensen (Emporia State University), and Andrew George (Pittsburg State University). ​It consists of a network of automated telemetry receiver stations  in the state. Building upon the preliminary infrastructure, funding, and expertise brought to the region by the Great Plains and Chihuahuan Desert Motus initiative (Bird Conservancy of the Rockies). 

Our vision...

We envision a truly collaborative effort involving researchers, engaged landowners, non-governmental organizations, state & federal agencies, and birding associations to promote understanding, education, and conservation of grassland birds. Beginning with the three stations installed in eastern Kansas in 2021, we envisioned a station in every county in the eastern third of the state, and expansion of the network further west. We are realizing that goal with new stations coming online every few months. A local network of well-placed stations will help us better understand the movements, annual cycle, demography, and landuse of grassland birds - information that is crucial for their preservation. 

We are part of a global effort

Motus is a grassroots network of scientists aiming to understand the biology of mobile animals. It consists of automated receivers that detect the presence of nearby birds, bats, insects or other animals that are transmitting digitally-coded signals. Any tagged animal that passes within a few miles of a receiver will be detected and logged automatically. That information is transmitted and stored centrally, then shared within the network. Thus, Motus is inherently collaborative, with local stations providing valuable information to researchers elsewhere in our flyway. Likewise, we benefit from detections of "our" birds  detected elsewhere in the broader network. 

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