Tiny backpacks reveal the secret, sometimes circuitous migrations of small songbirds

Tiny geolocators measure light levels and atmospheric pressure to reveal the migrations of small songbirds – including the yellow-rumped warbler, also known as a butter-butt – in unprecedented detail.

By: Stephanie Szarmach, Smithsonian Institution, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 8, 2026

Words: 1,433

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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By Stephanie Szarmach, Smithsonian Institution

Squinting through my binoculars, I scanned the dense branches of a black spruce, trying my best to catch a glimpse of the thin legs of a small black, white and yellow songbird. I was on the hunt for a yellow-rumped warbler – a bird affectionately called “butter-butt” by bird-watchers after the distinctive buttery yellow patch of feathers above its tail.

Once I spotted a flash of red on one of …

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