CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Biologists at the University of Alberta are using GPS to track migratory birds to understand the cause behind their declining numbers.
The study is one of the first to analyze the 10,000-kilometre route that common nighthawks take. Researchers fitted the birds with small backpacks equipped with GPS transmitters.
The authors of the report say this is a critical start to developing conservation approaches because it focuses on the times and places where population declines might occur.
Common nighthawks breed in North America but migrate in the fall to the Amazon and Cerrado Biomes of South America.
Elly Knight, lead author and Ph.D. student in the Department of Biological Sciences, says figuring out what causes those declines can be difficult and complicated because they occupy so many different places during the year.
She says the birds make numerous stops along their journey, and GPS tracking allows biologists to understand where and when they’re spending their time outside of their breeding areas
The project brought together researchers from the U of A, Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
