Painted wind turbines can dramatically reduce bird deaths, study finds

Acciona Energía painted one blade black on four turbines at its El Ruedo wind farm in Cadiz, Spain, and researchers tracking bird deaths from 2012 to 2024 found fatality rates dropped nearly 74% compared with unpainted control turbines. Similar studies in Norway and South Africa found 70% and 83% drops respectively, though a Dutch study found no significant effect.

Wind turbines kill up to a million birds annually in the U.S., far fewer than the billions killed by cats and buildings, but researchers warn the toll could grow as wind development expands, particularly threatening long-lived raptors and migratory songbirds.

Manufacturers have resisted painting blades during production, citing concerns about heat absorption and weight changes, so the fix so far has only been tested retrofitted onto turbines already in service, an expensive process.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.