Neither wind turbines nor solar projects have been found to cause population-level effects on any species of bird, and their impacts on bird populations are minimal. Wind and solar developers routinely follow a regimented, science-based protocol to evaluate sites for risks to species and their habitats and to mitigate any potential impacts, which include coordinating with the appropriate subject matter experts at state and federal wildlife agencies.
Sources:
Erickson W, Wolfe M, Bay K, Johnson D, and Gehring JL. “A comprehensive analysis of small passerine fatalities from collision with turbines at wind energy facilities.” PLoS ONE 9:e107491, September 2014. Available here.
Will, T., J.C. Stanton, K.V. Rosenberg, A.O. Panjabi, A.F. Camfield, A.E. Shaw, W.E. Thogmartin, and P.J. Blancher. “Handbook to the Partners in Flight Population Estimates Database, Version 3.1.” PIF Technical Series No 7.1., June 2020. Available here.
Kingsley A and Whittam B. “Wind turbines and birds: a background review for environmental assessment.” Prepared for Environment Canada/Canadian Wildlife Service. Bird Studies Canada, April 2007. Available here.
Kuvlesky WP, Brennan LA, Morrison ML, Boydston KK, Ballard BM, and Bryant FC. 2007. “Wind energy development and wildlife conservation: Challenges and opportunities.” The Journal of Wildlife Management 71:2487-2498, November 2007. Available here.
Millsap et al. “Golden Eagles in the Western United States.” Ecological Applications 32( 3): e2544, January 2022. Available here.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Final Report: Bald Eagle Population Size: 2020 Update.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, March 2021. Washington, D.C. U.S.A. Available here.
DeVault TL, Seamans TW, Linnell KE, Sparks DW, and Beasley JC. “Scavenger removal of bird carcasses at simulated wind turbines: Does carcass type matter?” Ecosphere 8:e01994, November 2017. Available here.
“2023 State of the Bats report.” Bat Conservation, May 2023. Available here.
Taber D. Allison, PhD, Ryan Butryn, “2nd Edition: Summary of Bat Fatality Monitoring Data Contained in AWWIC.” November 2020. Available here.
Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. “Renew: 2022 Annual Report.” October 22, 2024. Available here.
Clifford K. Ho. “Review of avian mortality studies at concentrating solar power plants.” AIP Conf. Proc. 31, 1734 (1): 070017, May 2016. Available here.
“AI-Enabled Avian-Solar Interaction Monitoring.” Argonne National Laboratory. Available here.
Parker, G., and C. McQueen. “Can Solar Farms Deliver Measurable Benefits for Biodiversity?” Wychwood Biodiversity and Rowsell & McQueen, August 2013. Available here.
Montag, H., G. Parker, and T. Clarkson. “The Effects of Solar Farms on Local Biodiversity: A Comparative Study.” Clarkson and Woods and Wychwood Biodiversity, April 2016. Available here.
Walston, Leroy J., Yudi Li, Heidi M. Hartmann, Jordan Macknick, Aaron Hanson, Chris Nootenboom, Eric Lonsdorf, and Jessica Hellmann. “Modeling the Ecosystem Services of Native Vegetation Management Practices at Solar Energy Facilities in the Midwestern United States.” Ecosystem Services 47 (2021): 101227., November 2020. Available here.
Kosciuch, K., Riser-Espinoza, D., Moqtaderi, C., & Erickson, W. “Aquatic Habitat Bird Occurrences at Photovoltaic Solar Energy Development in Southern California, USA”. Diversity, 13 (11), 524, August 2021. Available here.
Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine. “Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles.” Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, April 2024 (revised February 2025). Available here.
Shweta Singh, Ph.D. Michael H. Young*, Ph.D. Jani Das, Ph.D. “Environmental Impacts of Decommissioned Solar, Wind, and Electricity Storage Systems SFR-132” Prepared for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, October 2024. Available here.
Joshua D. Rhodes, PhD. “The impact of future deployments of renewable energy on local wholesale electricity prices and bills in ERCOT.” Prepared for: Texas Energy Buyers Alliance, February 2025. Available here.