Coal, Not Wind or Solar, Is Worst for Birds

Avian Mortality By Energy Source

“Even if nearly 30,000 birds a year are getting sent to their fiery doom, that’s a mere fraction compared to other U.S. energy sources,” writes Alan Neuhauser of U.S. News & World Report. Data from a variety of sources—some of which do not share methodology, Neuhauser cautions—suggest that the most devastating effects for birds come from climate change, making coal the worst among the energy sources considered (see graph). This conclusion is based on a 2009 study by Benjamin Sovacool that analyzed wind, nuclear, and fossil-fuel-powered plants and concluded, “Wind farms and nuclear power stations are responsible each for between 0.3 and 0.4 fatalities per GWh of electricity, while fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for about 5.2 fatalities per GWh.”

Meanwhile, cats remain the largest single known threat from humans (see More Proof that Housecats Are Birds’ Biggest Enemy), and glass buildings also have a greater impact than any energy source (see Design for the Birds: Protecting Birds from the Hazards of Glass).