September 12, 2005
Teeny Phones for Tweety Birds
According to Wired, humans may not be the only animals using cell phones in the near future.
"Ornithologists and engineers at Oregon State University are planning to strap tiny mobile phones to songbirds and monitor the birds' migration with unprecedented accuracy.
But the birds will not "phone home" like college kids calling from spring break destinations. Instead, the cellular devices will send simple codes to cell towers along migratory routes.
The devices attached to the birds will share unique identification numbers with cell towers as they pass within range. Network service providers will record the ID numbers, the towers contacted and the times when contact was made."
Related: In 2002, UK's Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust tagged 20'000 geese and tracked them with satellite technology from the breeding grounds of Canada to Ireland, a 3'000 km flight. Mobile phone users were able to sign up online for text messages on the whereabouts of the migrating geese.
More on: mobile wildlife tracking in Textually.
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