Danish white storks fitted with mobile GPS trackers for first time

For the first time, Danish white stork chicks will be equipped with mobile GPS transmitters today, allowing researchers to monitor their migrations in real time, state broadcaster DR reports.

The new ELSA-2 devices, attached to the birds’ legs in southern Jutland and Zealand, transmit location, altitude, and speed data via cellular networks whenever the storks are within range of a mobile tower. The technology marks a shift from traditional aluminum bands, which provided no active tracking.

“These transmitters give us unprecedented insight into their movements—and crucially, where they encounter trouble,” said Mogens Lange Petersen, chair of conservation group Storkene.dk. The data will help experts pinpoint hazards during the chicks’ first southward migration, a journey where many perish annually.

The project, led by the Natural History Museum of Denmark, has procured 25 ELSA-2 GPS units and 100 visual ELSA-1 markers. Over the coming weeks, 25 chicks in Smedager, Rens, Abild, and Gundsølille will receive the devices, which are made of synthetic plastic and fitted higher on the leg than older bands.