Wind farms are striking features on any landscape, and it is easy to imagine that their impacts on birds are severe. But what are the facts? As explained in this article, quantitative studies of the impacts of structures - wind farms, for example, as well as communication towers - have been relatively few. Moreover, there has been little effort to quantify the differences among structure types.

The authors of this article have recently completed several key studies that provide some of the first rigorous and quantitative assessments of the impacts of wind turbines and other structures on birds. In this article they summarize those findings. Just as important, if not more so, the authors propose solutions which, if implemented, could save the lives of millions of birds.