A new technique called "Motus" has detected the extraordinary feat of a tiny creature in nature. Europe's smallest golden-crowned bird flew over the North Sea from the Netherlands in less than 8 hours, covering a distance of more than 400 miles (about 644 kilometers).
The incredible endurance of the golden-crowned bird was detected by a high-tech receiver called "Motus", which was installed at the Spern Bird Observatory on the island of Keenza off the coast of Yorkshire.
The new technology means that the behaviour of small birds like the golden-crowned bird, as well as bats and butterflies, can be recorded more accurately than ever before as they make their amazing annual migration.
The "Motus" receiver received flight information before dawn when the golden-crowned bird flew from the North Sea. The bird, which weighs about seven grams, was captured on October 20 on an Friesian archipelago off the coast of the Netherlands by a team from Wageningen University and fitted with an ultralight tag.
The tag emitted a digitized radio signal that was picked up the next morning by the Spern Bird Observatory as it made a long flight inland. Timing shows it crossed the North Sea in less than 8 hours at speeds of 27 miles (43.4 kilometers) per hour.
Nick Whitehouse, commissioner of the Spern Bird Observation Council, said: "We have a few good examples of these birds being tagged across the continent and we can detect them as long as they are now flying close enough to the receiver. This technology gives bird monitors the exact time and direction of the bird's flight, providing more details about the bird's flight. Once we get the signal, the data is automatically downloaded, it will be stored in a central database, and this information will be returned to the marking team. We were glad to know that this technology worked and we got the flight of such a little bird. ”
Now the network of receiving stations is expanding. Bird stations in Cape Gibraltar, Lincolnshire, Portland, Dorset, and Alderney, Channel Islands, will soon be installed with the Mortus receiver.