PBS News Hour - Segments

Scientists use new technology to track individual monarch butterfly migrations

Jan 11, 2026
Dan Fagin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and NYU professor, dives into the fascinating world of monarch butterflies and their epic migrations. He explains how new miniaturized radio tags are revolutionizing tracking, revealing unexpected overwintering sites and how weather influences their journeys. Fagin also highlights the threats these beautiful insects face, particularly from climate change, which impacts their habitats and food sources. Join him for a captivating exploration of resilience within nature.
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INSIGHT

Full Migration Paths Revealed

  • Miniaturized radio tags finally reveal full monarch routes instead of just endpoints.
  • Cellular Tracking Technologies' tiny trackers let scientists follow butterflies through their entire migration.
INSIGHT

Wind Displacement And Recovery

  • Tracks show monarchs get blown hundreds of miles off course by wind and storms during migration.
  • Despite displacements, many butterflies reorient using two compasses and resume correct southwesterly paths.
INSIGHT

Broader Overwintering Range

  • Tagging revealed monarchs use multiple overwintering sites beyond the well-known Mexican and California locations.
  • This broader range suggests greater potential resilience to climate change than previously thought.
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