Are wind farms bad for birds?
Many human activities result in birds being killed, whether through mining coal, oil, and other fossil fuels, or by keeping pet cats in locations with heavy bird populations. The following graph shows the different ways birds are killed, and how many are killed. Birds are about 6000 times more likely to be killed by a building window than a wind turbine. Although wind farms are known to have the undesired effect of occasionally striking and killing birds, the wind energy industry and the government have put procedures in place to enhance our understanding of bird behaviour and potential conflicts with wind farms. The modern wind farm undergoes a series of environmental assessments before being approved. In this process, the proposed site will be monitored and bird populations evaluated. What kinds of birds are on site? What are their habits, flight patterns? Do they nest in the area or simply fly through? Questions like these are answered in an effort to better understand on-site bird
