Monarch Butterflies Tracked Across 800 Miles

Researchers successfully tracked two tagged monarchs from Toronto to a Tennessee refuge using radio technology.

Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Environmental

Isometric editorial illustration of a monarch butterfly with a small telemetry device, flying over stylized Tennessee forest canopy. — Researchers have successfully tracked two monarch butterflies over 800 miles from Toronto to a wildlife refuge in Tennessee using radio telemetry technology. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Researchers confirmed that two monarch butterflies migrated over 800 miles from the Toronto area to the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. The tracking was achieved using radio transmitters attached to the insects, which were detected by a receiver at the refuge.

Why it matters

This tracking effort provides essential data on specific monarch migration routes, which are critical for understanding how these insects navigate vast distances. The success of this method helps scientists refine their understanding of insect movement patterns.

Project Monarch utilized radio transmitters to track two butterflies over a distance exceeding 800 miles. The signals were captured by a Motus tower—an automated radio-telemetry system—located at the Duck River Unit of the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge.

The players

Project Monarch

A research initiative focused on tracking insect migration through the use of miniaturized radio transmitter technology.

Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge

A protected area that maintains infrastructure for biodiversity research and wildlife monitoring in Tennessee.

The details

Researchers attached miniature radio transmitters to the monarchs to monitor their flight. The Motus tower at the Duck River Unit operates by continuously scanning for radio-frequency pulses, allowing the researchers to detect the unique signals from the tagged butterflies when they pass within range of the unit's antenna array.

October 2, 2026: The arrival of the butterflies at the refuge was confirmed.

The Tech Race

The application of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System marks a shift from monitoring larger vertebrates to tracking insects with sub-gram transmitters. This effort demonstrates how radio-telemetry hardware is increasingly miniaturized to map long-distance migration in smaller species.

This development represents a research advancement in tracking insect movement that aids conservationists in identifying critical flight corridors. It does not currently offer direct tools for public use but highlights the ongoing efforts to protect migratory pathways across Tennessee.

The takeaway

The successful use of radio transmitters on monarchs demonstrates that large-scale migration tracking of insects is now technically feasible. Observers should look for future datasets from the Motus network to see if this method reveals new, consistent migratory corridors for the species.