Scientists hope to track birds with tiny cell phones

PORTLAND, Ore. – Cell phones may cause accidents behind the wheel and derision in movie theaters, but scientists at Oregon State University are hoping that specially designed micro-sized cell phones attached to migrating songbirds will help them learn more about the birds’ routes and habitat.

Each bird would have its own electronic signal encoded in the phone it carries. As it flies, a timer would activate the signal, which could be picked up by cell phone towers.

Tracking such birds has traditionally been very difficult, because the birds are so small, Douglas Robinson, an Oregon State University assistant professor and avian ecologist, said.

Songbirds make up about half of the world’s bird species, and millions of them migrate between North America and South America each spring and fall. With many songbird species in decline, Robinson and other ecologists want to know more about their travels.

Making a device light enough for small birds – no more than the weight of a penny – developing a timer that would turn the transmitter on at specific times, and finding a way to attach it to the bird proved to be key challenges for researchers.

Aided by a three-year, $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Robinson worked with Huaping Liu, an electrical engineer and assistant professor at OSU who had specialized in cell phone research at Lucent Technologies in New Jersey.

The two hope to test a prototype in the Willamette Valley by early 2007. They want to find out how close the birds must get to the cell towers before a connection is made.

The first long-distance test is likely to be with purple martins, which winter in Brazil and nest around towns in the eastern United States where there are lots of cell towers, Robinson said.

Liu estimates that battery capacities would allow them to connect to towers about 20 times during a three-week window. The researchers would work with cell companies, which would identify the specific signals and tower locations.