Abstract
Wind energy has become a substantial component of power generation and provides over 10% of the electricity generated in the United States (U.S.; U.S. Energy Information Administration 2023). Land- based wind energy in the U.S. has been projected to increase from the current capacity of 155 gigawatts (GW; as of December 2024) to between 350-646 GW by 2050 (American Clean Power 2025, U.S. Energy Information Administration 2025). While wind energy can offset fossil fuel emissions and reduce the effects of climate change on wildlife, the siting and operation of wind energy facilities also pose a risk to some species of wildlife (Arnett et al. 2008, Strickland et al. 2011, Allison et al. 2019, Katzner et al. 2025). Negative effects may include fatalities resulting from collisions with turbine blades or towers and declines in the availability, quality, or connectivity of habitat caused by construction and operation of wind energy infrastructure. For some species, concern exists that the cumulative effect of impacts from wind energy may contribute to population declines, especially as the installed capacity of wind energy increases (Gill and Hein 2022, Vander Zanden et al. 2024). Understanding the extent and nature of wind energy’s environmental impacts is essential to maximizing wind energy’s benefits while addressing risks to wildlife. This summary seeks to do so by reviewing publicly available information about the interactions between land-based wind power and wildlife in North America and the status of our knowledge regarding how to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts.