Episode 11.2: Decoding wildlife behavior through movement data

Simona Picardi is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology and management in U of I’s College of Natural Resources. She studies how animals move across landscapes and what secrets their movements reveal. In this episode, she explains how tracking technology and data analysis help uncover patterns in wildlife behavior and how this research can guide strategies to protect habitats and wildlife populations.

View Picardi’s POP Talk on animal movement for more.

Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu.

What is your favorite migratory animal fact?

Animal movement tells a story — if you know how to read it. Picardi’s research focuses on movement ecology, a growing scientific field that uses GPS tracking to understand where animals go, why they move and what those movements reveal about survival and reproduction. With lightweight tracking devices now small enough to fit on birds and large mammals, researchers can collect hundreds of thousands of location points and uncover patterns that were once impossible to see.

Picardi helped develop an open-source analytical tool called NestR, which uses GPS data to identify bird nests and determine whether nesting attempts were successful without researchers ever having to set foot near the site. By detecting the repeated back-and-forth flight patterns birds make while caring for chicks, the tool can estimate nest location and survival rates remotely. The method reduces field costs, lowers carbon emissions and minimizes disturbance to wildlife.

Her research revealed surprising insights. In studies of wood storks in South Florida, Picardi found that birds foraging near urban areas — sometimes feeding their chicks human food like chicken nuggets and french fries — had higher nest survival than their migratory counterparts. While that advantage raises questions about long-term health, genetics and ecosystem impacts, it also shows how human activity is reshaping wildlife behavior.

From improving wildlife-friendly fencing for pronghorn to studying how winter recreation affects mule deer and elk, Picardi’s work shows how movement data can inform management decisions and conservation policy.

Music

“Young Republicans” by Steve Combs via freemusicarchive.org, not modified.

“Ice Birds” by Jon Fitzgerald via Amphibious Zoo.

Chapters

(0:00) What is your favorite migratory animal fact?
(03:42) Getting to know Simona Picardi
(04:08) Using GPS data to track animals
(09:52) Urban wood storks
(12:18) Potential impact of changing migration patterns
(14:09) Birds eating junk food
(15:40) Broader conservation implications
(17:00) Other movement ecology research
(19:29) Final thoughts