Abstract
Wind turbines may have negative impacts on bat populations, as well as their prey and habitats, such as:
- destruction and disturbance of habitats and commuting corridors
- destruction or disturbance of roosts
- increased collision risk for bats in flight
- through emission of ultrasound noise
Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain why bats collide with wind turbines since, a priori, this probability seems to be very small (Ahlén 2003): (1) bats concentrate in certain areas (e.g., for feeding or migrating), (2) bats may be attracted by the sound of the blades, (3), bats may use wind turbines structures to rest, (4) migrating bats do not use echolocation to navigate, (5) air turbulence may attract bats.