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Do wind turbines kill a significant number of birds compared to other human-made hazards?

Thursday, May 28, 2020
By William Boger
NO

Between 140,000 and 573,000 birds die in a year from colliding with wind turbines in the U.S., a 2013 study estimated. Other studies estimate that other human-made structures and machines are much more deadly to the avian population:

  • Roughly 6.8 million birds die from collisions with communications towers in North America.
  • Between 12 million and 64 million die from collision with and electrocution by power lines in the U.S.
  • Between 89 million and 340 million die from vehicle collisions on U.S. roads.
  • Between 365 million and 988 million die from colliding with buildings and windows, "a major anthropogenic threat" according to the authors of that study.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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