Some birds, such as raptors and vultures, have large wings relative to their body size, providing good lift in rising air currents. Soaring birds can sustain flight for long periods without flapping their wings, but are largely dependent on ascending currents resulting from the uneven warming of the Earth’s surface or the wind blowing over mountain ridges. Collisions of large soaring bird with wind turbines are of particular conservation concern, given that they are long-lived, have low reproductive rates with few eggs in each clutch, and invest considerable time in rearing their young. This summary represents a general overview of the research, produced by WREN under IEA Wind. A list of the sources used to develop this Short Science Summary is also available here.
Short Science Summary: European Migratory Soaring Birds and Wind Energy Development
The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.
| Title | Author | Date Sort ascending | Content Type | Technology | Stressor | Receptor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitigating wildlife collisions with wind turbines: A review of techniques, evidence, knowledge gaps and avenues for future research | Kuzovnikova, E., Whale, J., Shephard, J., Fleming, P. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind | Collision | Bats, Birds | |
| A spare-share scenario framework for exploring biodiversity - onshore wind trade-offs in electricity system planning | Javed, M.S., Gilad, D., May, R., Kvalnes, T., Zeyringer, M. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy | ||
| Mapping the Evidence for Cumulative Adverse Effects of Offshore Wind Installations on Birds | Green-Tkacenko, L.A., Allen, M.C., Lockwood, J.L. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Birds | ||
| System interactions constraining offshore wind deployment in the Dutch North Sea | Wakounig, I., Gooyert, V. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Displacement, Habitat Change | Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement | |
| Avian Collision Risk with Reference Wind Turbines: Effects of Geometry, Operation, and Flight Height Distribution | Fritz, E., Turrini, M., Breuer, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Collision | Birds, Raptors, Seabirds | |
| Identifying causes and consequences of ecosystem decline in the Irish Sea through bow-tie analysis | Kolbuk, D., Bremner, J., Cahillane, A., Di Gennaro, V., Crowe, T. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Habitat Change | Birds, Seabirds, Waterfowl, Fish, Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement | |
| The impact of wind turbines on the distribution and abundance of raptors at an important wintering and migration stopover site in Ontario, Canada | Mitchell, K., Martin, P. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Birds, Raptors | |
| 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., Newman, C., Corcoran, A. | 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., Tolvanen, A. | 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 | |
| An intelligent SCADA-integrated deep learning framework for bird-safe offshore wind farm operation | Sultan, Y.A., Sameh, A., Gamel, S.A. | Journal Article | Wind Energy | Collision, Habitat Change | Birds, Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts | |
| Bird migration and wind-energy production across Western Europe | Bauer, S., Nussbaumer, R., Tito, D., Shamoun-Baranes, J., Farnsworth, A. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Birds | |
| DiverLog: Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on the Behaviour, Energetics and Habitat Use of Red-throated Divers | Burger, C., Salazar, S., Liedtke, J., Heinänen, S., Welcker, J., Nehls, G. | 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 | |
| Improving understanding of distributional change for relevant seabird species (ImpUDis): Analysis of existing data | Donovan, C., Clarke, C. | Report | Wind Energy | Attraction, Displacement | Birds | |
| Renewable energy growth amplifies land pressure on Norwegian biodiversity | Borgelt, J., Gilad, D., May, R., Verones, F. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Birds, Terrestrial Mammals | ||
| ImpUDis project value statement | The Carbon Trust | Report | Wind Energy | Attraction, Displacement | Birds | |
| Tahkoluodon merituulipuiston vaikutus lintujen lentotiheyksiin ja -reitteihin | Mäkelä, P., Niemi, J., Pasanen, A., Viinikainen, I., Meller, K. | Report | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Avoidance | Birds, Seabirds | |
| Behavioral Responses of Large Soaring Raptors to Audio Deterrents at Commercial Wind-Energy Facilities in the Western USA | Smith, J.P., Felton, S., Schneider, S.R., Romansic, J.M., Zirpoli, J., Terrill, S., Allsion, T. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Avoidance, Displacement, Noise | Birds, Raptors | |
| Raptor exposure to collision risk in relation to weather and season at a wind farm in tropical Africa | Kimani, D., Ndiritu, G., Kimuyu, D., Downing, T., Wilson, D., Warui, M., Kinyanjui, P., Walter, B., Bennun, L. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Collision | Birds | |
| 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 | |
| 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., Collier, M., Page, A., Boronkay, 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., Collier, M., Donovan, 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., Clarke, R., Chapman, J., Liu, Y., Fuller, R., Kerswell, A. | 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., Liesenjohann, T., Raab, M., Spakovszky, P., Kolbe, M., van Rijn, S., Pfeiffer, T., Lüning, C., Raab, R., Raab, R. | 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., Ainley, D., Terrill, S., Kramer, S., Ford, R., Casey, J., Santora, J., Ballance, L., Bernstein, S., Trush, S., Jacobson, A. | 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 | |
| Implications of surveyor accuracy in bird flight height estimation for wind farm collision risk assessment | Largey, N., Edwards, H., Fernandez-Bellon, D., Doyle, S. | 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., Iversen, L., Geldmann, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Birds, Reptiles, Terrestrial Mammals | ||
| A Structured Techno-Economic and Socio-Regulatory Comparison of Onshore, Fixed-Bottom Offshore, and Floating Offshore Wind Energy Systems | Koondhar, M. A., Afridi, S. K., Alsenani, T., Mahariq, I., Zeinoddini-Meymand, H., Shahnia, F., Touti, E. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Collision, Habitat Change, Noise | Bats, Birds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts | |
| Beyond Local Footprints: Disentangling Large-Scale Redistribution and Local Abundance Responses to Offshore Wind Farms | Mercker, M., Garthe, S., Peschko, V., Borkenhagen, K., Markones, N., Schwemmer, H., Dierschke, 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., Voigt, C., Bumrungsri, S. | 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., Thedin, R., Lanzone, M., Braham, M., Miller, T., Farmer, C., Brandes, D., Katzner, T. | 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 | |
| The development of wind power leads to a decline in bird species richness | Dang, D., Li, X., Lyu, X., Liu, S., Li, M., Liu, S., Su, N., Zhang, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change, Noise | 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., Daunt, F., Butler, A., Mobbs, D. | 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., Vulcano, A., Bobrek, R., Celada, C., Gaibani, G., Gustin, M., Krogulec, J., Staneva, A., Stasiak, K., Allinson, T. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change | Birds |