Sex- but not age-biased wind turbine collision mortality in the White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla

Heuck, Christian; Herrmann, Christof; Wendt, Juliane; Krone, Oliver; Brandl, Roland; Albrecht, Jörg

doi:10.1007/s10336-020-01757-w

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Our results add to the previous knowledge that turbine avoidance behaviour of soaring birds during migration may not be affected by sex or age, contrary to observations in other studies during the breeding season [ 10 , 11 , 13 ]. Obviously, further studies are needed to ascertain if our results apply to other soaring bird species and spatio-temporal contexts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…However, it is interesting to note that the displacement range was slightly higher in females than males (786 and 717 m, respectively). Whether these differences have biological relevance is difficult to ascertain, but females are expected to be less manoeuverable than males due to their larger body size [ 2 , 11 ], which may keep them at a larger distance from turbines. The similarity in the avoidance behaviour of juvenile and adult black kites was rather surprising.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, sex- and age-related differences in behaviour and ecological requirements of soaring birds have the potential to influence their collision risk with wind turbines. During the breeding season, the time allocated to incubation decreases the risk of collision of females [ 11 , 12 ]. The engagement of adult males with territory defence increases frequency of social interactions during which they might have limited awareness of turbine collision risk [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have reported sex and age differences in the numbers of soaring birds killed by wind turbines [e.g. [7][8][9][10][11]. However, it remains unclear whether these differences reflect vulnerability of a particular sex or age class to collisions or simply unequal relative abundances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Black kites of different age and sex show similar avoidance responses to wind turbines during migration

et al. 2021

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Populations of soaring birds are often impacted by wind-power generation. Sex and age bias in turbine collisions can exacerbate these impacts through demographic changes that can lead to population decline or collapse. While several studies have reported sex and age differences in the number of soaring birds killed by turbines, it remains unclear if they result from different abundances or group-specific turbine avoidance behaviours, the latter having severer consequences. We investigated sex and age effects on turbine avoidance behaviour of black kites ( Milvus migrans ) during migration near the Strait of Gibraltar. We tracked the movements of 135 individuals with GPS data loggers in an area with high density of turbines and then modelled the effect of proximity of turbines on bird utilization distribution (UD). Both sexes and age classes showed similar patterns of displacement, with reduced UD values in the proximity of turbines and a clear peak at 700–850 m away, probably marking the distance at which most birds turn direction to avoid approaching the turbines further. The consistency of these patterns indicates that displacement range can be used as an accurate proxy for collision risk and habitat loss, and should be incorporated in environmental impact assessment studies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Black kites of different age and sex show similar avoidance responses to wind turbines during migration

et al. 2021

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“…Wat het effect is van leeftijd op vlieghoogte bij zeearenden kon hier niet worden onderzocht, omdat alleen jonge zeearenden werden gezenderd. Bij zeearenden zou een hogere aanvaringsgevoeligheid van adulte ten opzichte van jonge vogels kunnen worden veroorzaakt door verschillen in sociale interacties en foerageerstrategieën (May et al, 2011;Nadjafzadeh et al, 2016), hoewel een recente studie in Duitsland geen verschil vond in aanvaringskansen tussen leeftijdsgroepen bij zeearenden (Heuck et al, 2020).…”

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Het risico op aanvaringen met windturbines van zeearend en bruine kiekendief in Flevoland

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et al. 2022

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Habitat use by post-fledging white-tailed eagles shows avoidance of human infrastructure and agricultural areas

et al. 2021

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Habitat use studies provide invaluable information for the conservation of species that suffer from habitat loss or degradation. We used satellite telemetry to study the habitat use of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in relation to six habitat classes (artificial surfaces, agricultural areas, forests, semi-natural areas, wetlands and waterbodies) and five forest age classes (0–9, 10–19, 20–59, 60–99 and ≥ 100 years old) during the post-fledging period in Finland. The post-fledging period, defined here as the period between fledging and dispersal from the natal area, is a critical life-history stage. Our primary objective was to provide information that could be integrated into landscape planning, including wind-energy development (which poses a threat to white-tailed eagles). We found that the habitat classes that were selected by the young white-tailed eagles were forests, semi-natural areas (i.e., transitional woodland and bare rock) and wetlands. When using forests, the eagles selected stands of 0–9 years old, presumably due to the use of retention trees surrounded by a clear-cut as perching sites. Conversely, the habitat classes that were avoided were artificial surfaces, agricultural areas and (the immediate vicinity of) waterbodies. We conclude that the conversion of natural habitats into built and agricultural areas is detrimental to young white-tailed eagles because it reduces habitat availability. They, however, appear to be capable of using forests recently impacted by forestry if perch trees are present. Careful landscape planning is needed to protect priority habitats and avoid conflicts with an expanding white-tailed eagle population (e.g., by building wind farms in areas already environmentally disturbed).

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Sex- but not age-biased wind turbine collision mortality in the White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla

Cited by 8 publications

References 16 publications

Black kites of different age and sex show similar avoidance responses to wind turbines during migration

Black kites of different age and sex show similar avoidance responses to wind turbines during migration

Het risico op aanvaringen met windturbines van zeearend en bruine kiekendief in Flevoland

Habitat use by post-fledging white-tailed eagles shows avoidance of human infrastructure and agricultural areas

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