Across all wind facilities, 128 bird species were found dead under turbines, but 49% of all bird fatalities were from just eight species, most small migrating songbirds (vireos, kinglets, warblers). Five bat species were found, almost half of which were hoary bats.
In contrast to bats, birds carcass were most frequently found at both 2.5 m and 30 m from the turbine base. We attributed the high number of birds found next to the pole to birds colliding with turbines poles themselves, whereas turbines are typically viewed as threatening because of the swinging turbine blades. This makes sense, as several ruffed grouse were found near the turbine poles, but these birds rarely fly at the height of turbine blades and would not be able to collide with them. However, most of the birds found near the poles were small migratory songbirds, which had not been known to collide with turbine poles. These songbirds, especially the nocturnal migrants, likely struggle to see both turbine poles and blades while migrating through wind fields. This suggests that:
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