Study conclusion: "Wind turbines have minor impact on small-bird populations"

0 15994
27 Nov

It is no secret that among renewables we prefer wind farms rather than hydropower, so this report is very welcome.

Read the entire report here (pdf)

Some contents:

- "..wildlife groups are concerned about wind turbines killing large numbers of birds. More than half of all bird species are passerines and they are the most frequently killed. Until now, there have been no comprehensive studies collating research on small-bird collisions at wind farms."

- "The researchers wanted to provide regulators, the wind industry and conservation bodies with a better understanding of collision rates in these populations. They analysed data from 116 studies, the majority (70%) of which provided data specifically on small-bird fatalities. For the remaining 35 studies, they estimated small-bird fatalities based on data on all birds killed."

- "The results suggest that, on average, 2.10-3.35 small birds are killed each year per megawatt (MW) of installed capacity of wind turbines. A 1 MW turbine on land can power about 225-300 houses. In total, the researchers estimate that between 134 000 and 230 000 small birds are killed annually by turbines across all of the US and Canada.

- "By contrast, over six million small birds are thought to be killed by communication towers in these two countries."

- "Meanwhile, cats are estimated to kill at least 55 million birds each year in the UK alone, although some of these are thought to be weaker birds that would die anyway."

More info:

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