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Tiny Solar Trackers Help Scientists Follow Monarch Migration

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Scientists and conservation groups are attaching small radio trackers to monarch butterflies to learn more about the insects’ difficult-to-follow migration. The project aims to reveal where monarchs pause, how they travel and which landscapes they rely on.

About 1,750 monarchs received trackers this year, and roughly 175 detections have been recorded in Mexico, project organizers said. The solar-powered devices are designed to be carried by a butterfly without preventing flight.

The trackers do not show an exact live location or confirm a butterfly is alive. Receivers record a signal when a tagged monarch passes within range, giving researchers sightings along parts of the route.

Those detections may help fill gaps in scientists’ understanding. Monarchs can travel thousands of miles between breeding grounds and overwintering sites, and researchers have long relied on observations that leave much of the journey unseen.

Participants can follow detections through the Project Monarch Science app. The public map is intended to connect researchers, local conservation efforts and people who want to learn about monarch movements.

North American monarch populations have fallen sharply over recent decades. Conservation groups estimate the eastern population is down more than 80 percent and the western population about 95 percent from levels measured in the mid-1990s.

Habitat loss, pesticides, drought, climate conditions, traffic and development all affect monarch survival. Scientists say the decline has multiple causes, so tracking is one tool among many for identifying where conservation work could help.

The project brings together researchers and conservation organizations across borders. Its findings could guide efforts to protect stopover habitat, while additional seasons will be needed to build a fuller picture from early detections.

Sources

AP: https://gmg-wdiv-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/tech/2026/11/03/monarch-butterflies-get-tiny-trackers-to-help-scientists-follow-their-mysterious-migration/
National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org/
Project Monarch Science: https://projectmonarch.org/

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