Motus Towers

Motus (Latin for “movement”) is a wildlife tracking network using automated radio telemetry. It was launched in 2014, soon became a program of Birds Canada, and has rapidly spread with the help of hundreds of collaborators. To date, more than 1,500 Motus receiver stations have been installed across 34 countries, though most towers are still concentrated in the U.S. and Canada, where the network began.

In North Carolina, a number of Motus towers have been installed along the coast and in the mountains. New Hope Bird Alliance in coordination with the American Bird Conservancy  and in partnership with the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) installed a Motus tower in July 2026 at the George and Julia Brumley Family Nature Preserve (North). 

The Motus network has spread quickly because it allows radio tags, which weigh as little as one-tenth of a gram, to be used. These tiny tags can be attached to insects or small birds. The tags can transmit real time data to receiving locations which allows researchers to gather data without having to recapture birds or anything being tracked.  NHBA will be downloading data from the Motus tower every few months. We hope to work with others on projects around motus tagging.