Mongabay · Climate & nature

Painting wind turbine blades can significantly reduce bird deaths

A simple, low-cost method of painting one of the three blades of a wind turbine a different color has shown a dramatic reduction in bird fatalities in a recent study.

Researchers experimented with painting one blade black on four turbines at the El Ruedo wind farm in Spain, while 16 other turbines with all white blades served as controls. Daily monitoring for dead birds was conducted from 2012 to 2024, encompassing periods both before and after the painting.

The study found that the painted turbines experienced a nearly 74% decrease in annual bird fatality rates compared to the control turbines.

This finding aligns with similar studies in Norway and South Africa, which reported significant reductions in bird deaths after painting turbine blades. However, a study in the Netherlands did not find a significant effect.

Wind turbines in the U.S. kill up to a million birds annually, a number considerably lower than those killed by cats or building collisions.

As wind energy expands to combat climate change, increased bird deaths are a concern, particularly for vulnerable species like migrating songbirds and long-lived raptors with slow breeding rates.

Painting operational turbines is challenging and costly. Manufacturers are hesitant to paint blades during production due to potential issues with heat absorption and weight changes.

While current testing has been on a small scale, researchers hope the industry will adopt and scale up this low-tech solution, monitoring its effectiveness.

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