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Birds

A broad term that applies to all species of birds.

Birds are a group of endothermic vertebrates characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong, lightweight skeleton. With approximately ten thousand species, birds rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species, with more than half of those being passerines.

Collision with wind turbine blades can kill birds, though the impact of individual deaths on the greater population varies greatly based on species. Research continues to explore mitigation such as operation limitations, siting location, and lighting selection. Bird collisions with offshore wind turbines present an additional challenge of being unable to count bodies to determine the scale of mortality. Marine renewable energy devices likely pose little threat to diving birds colliding with tidal turbines, or birds colliding with floating wave energy devices. Birds are classified in the following categories:

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Tethys is a knowledge hub that contains documents on the environmental effects of wind and marine energy. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Knowledge Base associated with Birds.

Total: 2877

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Integrating 3-D thermal videography, ultrasonic acoustics, and weather radar to characterize bird and bat activity at wind turbines Shultz, A., Solick, D., Whitby, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance Bats, Birds
Synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity and distance to settlements in the spatial allocation of wind power Luukkonen, S., Räsänen, A., Koivula, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Bird Behavior and Physiology: Implications for Collision and Displacement Risk WREN, Dempsey, L., Hein, C. Summary Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Birds
Bird migration and wind-energy production across Western Europe Bauer, S., Nussbaumer, R., Tito, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Improving understanding of distributional change for relevant seabird species (ImpUDis): Analysis of existing data Donovan, C., Clarke, C. Report Wind Energy Attraction, Displacement Birds
ImpUDis project value statement The Carbon Trust Report Wind Energy Attraction, Displacement Birds
Renewable energy growth amplifies land pressure on Norwegian biodiversity Borgelt, J., Gilad, D., May, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Birds, Terrestrial Mammals
DiverLog: Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on the Behaviour, Energetics and Habitat Use of Red-throated Divers Burger, C., Salazar, S., Liedtke, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Improving understanding of distributional change for relevant seabird species (ImpUDis) Final Report Humphries, G., Bogaard, L. Report Wind Energy Attraction, Displacement Birds
Tahkoluodon merituulipuiston vaikutus lintujen lentotiheyksiin ja -reitteihin Mäkelä, P., Niemi, J., Pasanen, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance Birds, Seabirds
Integrating biodiversity conservation into renewable energy development under the European Green Deal: A comparative analysis of national policies in France, Italy and Spain Hajdukovic, I., Jessel, B. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Marine Mammals, Marine Spatial Planning, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Bio-informed blade patterns for mitigating bird collisions with wind turbines Brighton, C., Portugal, S., Taylor, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Raptor exposure to collision risk in relation to weather and season at a wind farm in tropical Africa Kimani, D., Ndiritu, G., Kimuyu, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Best practice guidance for the installation of monitoring equipment to support post construction seabird collision monitoring at offshore wind farms Valantiejus, Ž., Boersch-Supan, P., Thaxter, C. Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds
Best practice guidance for the collection, management and analysis of data to support post-construction seabird collision monitoring at offshore wind farms Valantiejus, Ž., Boersch-Supan, P., Thaxter, C. Guidance Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision Birds, Seabirds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Stakeholder Engagement
Mistimed surveys lead to underestimated migratory bird impacts from wind farms Shi, X., Holden, W., Simmonds, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Birds
Infrasonic acoustic energy produced by offshore wind turbine energy generation may interfere with bird and cetacean navigation cues Stocker, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Noise Birds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Smart flying in challenging skies: How Red Kites adjust wind turbine micro- and meso-avoidance across weather and experience Mercker, M., Škrábal, J., Blew, J. Journal Article Wind Energy Avoidance Birds, Raptors
Frequently Asked Questions: Offshore Wind and Birds Bird Communications Specialist Committee Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement Birds
Seabirds in 3D: A framework to evaluate collision vulnerability with future offshore wind developments in the California current system Schneider, S., Wallach, E., Chamberlin, C. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision Birds
Bird collisions with wind generators in China: a review of avoidance and minimization measures Friedrich, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Progressing Tidal Energy Through Organized Data Approaches Copping, A., Hemery, L., Garavelli, L. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles
Implications of surveyor accuracy in bird flight height estimation for wind farm collision risk assessment Largey, N., Edwards, H., Fernandez-Bellon, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Impacts of Renewable Energy Sources on Biological Diversity and Conservation: An Overview Saad, S., Mohamed Abou El Leil, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds, Raptors
Advancing knowledge of non-breeding seabirds, in the context of offshore wind impact assessments Hall, R., Ruffino, L. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds
Assessing the associations between renewable energy generation and other human-induced threats to terrestrial biodiversity Gorosábel, A., Farooq, H., Mulligan, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Birds, Reptiles, Terrestrial Mammals
The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Offshore Energy and Environmental Research Ryu, S., Dempsey, L., Ampela, K. Summary Marine Energy, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions
Beyond Local Footprints: Disentangling Large-­Scale Redistribution and Local Abundance Responses to Offshore Wind Farms Mercker, M., Garthe, S., Peschko, V. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Assessing vertical stratification of bats and nocturnal insects to infer potential collision risk at wind turbines in central Thailand Srilopan, S., Krauel, J., Srilopan, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Movement Models to Predict Low-Altitude Flight of Soaring Birds Using Look-Ahead Environmental Factors Sandhu, R., Tripp, C., Quon, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors
Review of Aberdeen Bay Collision Monitoring Data Cook, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Coexistence between migratory birds and wind energy production: The Gotthard wind park (Switzerland) as a case study Tettamanti, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
SeabORD v2.0: An Individual-Based Model for estimating demographic impacts for breeding seabirds arising from offshore windfarm sub-lethal effects Searle, K., Pollock, C., Tigli, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds
Mapping avian sensitivity to support onshore wind energy development and bird conservation in two European countries Biasotto, L., Serratosa, J., Clark, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds
Avian macro-avoidance of an offshore wind farm in the Taiwan Strait, investigated using surveillance radar Bai, M-L., Lee, P-F., Lien, Y-Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement Birds, Seabirds, Shorebirds
PrePARED Annual Report 2025 Marine Scotland, University of Aberdeen, SMRU Consulting Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals
Modelling Barrier Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on Birds - Incorporating the current knowledge on barrier effects in a quantitative assessment framework Ijntema, G.J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance Birds
Changes in the distribution and abundance of common scoter and diver species in the Horns Rev I, II and III offshore windfarm areas, Denmark, 2025: Bird distribution responses to wind farms, Horns Rev Scott-Hayward, L., Petersen, I.K., Mackenzie, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Displacement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Waterfowl
Underestimated Fatalities of a Cryptic Avian Species of Conservation Concern at Wind Energy Facilities in California, USA Katzner, T., Spicer, A., Ortiz, P. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision Birds, Passerines
An individual-based model to quantify the non-breeding season impact of wind farms on seabirds Buckingham, L., Masden, E. , Layton-Matthews, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Displacement Birds, Seabirds

Displaying 1 - 40 of 2877 results