Energy production has become essential for modern society. At the same time, this process can have negative effects on wildlife and ecosystems. It is in the best interest of society and the environment to understand these effects and to manage and mitigate for them. Our team focuses on measuring how energy development influences birds of prey and learning how to minimize impacts.
Current and Recent Studies
Eagles in California
Golden eagle populations in North America face a number of threats. In California in particular, they are listed as a species of concern by numerous state and federal agencies. Renewable energy production has the potential to impact eagles at all stages of their life history, which has been demonstrated at multiple California wind energy plants. There is also concern about the risk to birds from solar energy production.
Our research addresses questions related to habitat use, home range, and population dynamics of golden eagles. Much of this research focuses on data gathered from global positioning system - global system for mobile communications - or GPS-GSM - telemetry systems evaluated within a Geographic Information System - or GIS - to address questions linked to eagle movement. To date, we have tracked eagles in the Mojave Desert, at Tehachapi, and in northeastern California. The data we collect is also used to build risk models to understand how renewable energy development can be best managed to reduce risk to eagles from turbines and solar fields.
Wyoming Golden Eagles
Wyoming is an important area for both eagles and wind energy facilities, because of its low human densities and high wind speeds. Rapid expansion of wind energy is forecast for Wyoming, prompting a need to predict risk to golden eagles and other raptors from turbines, and to suggest approaches to bird-friendly wind energy development.
Our team collaborates with others to address that need using telemetry data from Wyoming golden eagles as input to spatially explicit risk models. These new models help predict possible turbine locations that pose low and high risk to eagles, and they can be used to suggest alternatives to high risk sites that have similarly high potential for energy generation.
Oklahoma Bald Eagles
The central Great Plains, including Oklahoma, is an important focus area for development of new wind facilities. Wind turbines can present a risk to bald eagle populations; however, due to a lack of scientific information concerning flight behavior of these birds, it is challenging to make or implement sound management recommendations. While the effects of wind power on eagles have been extensively studied in the eastern and western U.S., there has been almost no research on this problem in the Great Plains area.
We are tracking bald eagles using GPS-GSM telemetry to acquire information that helps wildlife managers and energy developers make decisions to address potential conflict between bald eagles and wind turbines. We are also collecting information on topography, weather, and land cover to understand how environmental conditions affect eagles and may put them at risk from collisions with wind turbines.
Birds of Prey in the Central Appalachian Mountains
Wind power is among the fastest growing alternative energy sources in the mid-Atlantic region. This area is also home to the eastern population of North America's golden eagles. This population is small, geographically separate, and potentially genetically distinct from western populations. These birds breed in northeastern Canada and winter in the southern Appalachians, and migrate along the Appalachian corridor in spring and fall.
Our goal is to develop high-resolution spatial data of migration corridors of and habitat use by eastern golden eagles in regions of high potential for wind development. Because golden eagles are an important "umbrella" species for other birds, especially other raptors, this information helps land managers and industry develop and maintain wind facilities while also protecting a suite of potentially impacted species. Region-wide maps of relative risk of wind power development to eagles allow us to make specific recommendations regarding siting of new wind farms and operation of existing wind farms.
Learn about other projects led by Dr. Todd Katzner.
Conservation Ecology and Monitoring of Raptors
Bird Movement and Migration
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production
Stochastic agent-based model for predicting turbine-scale raptor movements during updraft-subsidized directional flights
Flight altitudes of raptors in southern Africa highlight vulnerability of threatened species to wind turbines
Relative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Use of upland and riparian areas by wintering bald eagles and implications for wind energy
Understanding the golden eagle and bald eagle sensory worlds to enhance detection and response to wind turbines
Learning from real-world experience to understand renewable energy impacts to wildlife
The utility of point count surveys to predict wildlife interactions with wind energy facilities: An example focused on golden eagles
Flight response to spatial and temporal correlates informs risk from wind turbines to the California Condor
Raptor interactions with wind energy: Case studies from around the world
Golden Eagle Monitoring Plan for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
Plain language descriptions for some related USGS products and publications.
These are some of our partners.
- Overview
Energy production has become essential for modern society. At the same time, this process can have negative effects on wildlife and ecosystems. It is in the best interest of society and the environment to understand these effects and to manage and mitigate for them. Our team focuses on measuring how energy development influences birds of prey and learning how to minimize impacts.
Current and Recent Studies
Eagles in California
Golden eagle populations in North America face a number of threats. In California in particular, they are listed as a species of concern by numerous state and federal agencies. Renewable energy production has the potential to impact eagles at all stages of their life history, which has been demonstrated at multiple California wind energy plants. There is also concern about the risk to birds from solar energy production.
Our research addresses questions related to habitat use, home range, and population dynamics of golden eagles. Much of this research focuses on data gathered from global positioning system - global system for mobile communications - or GPS-GSM - telemetry systems evaluated within a Geographic Information System - or GIS - to address questions linked to eagle movement. To date, we have tracked eagles in the Mojave Desert, at Tehachapi, and in northeastern California. The data we collect is also used to build risk models to understand how renewable energy development can be best managed to reduce risk to eagles from turbines and solar fields.
Wyoming Golden Eagles
Wyoming is an important area for both eagles and wind energy facilities, because of its low human densities and high wind speeds. Rapid expansion of wind energy is forecast for Wyoming, prompting a need to predict risk to golden eagles and other raptors from turbines, and to suggest approaches to bird-friendly wind energy development.
Our team collaborates with others to address that need using telemetry data from Wyoming golden eagles as input to spatially explicit risk models. These new models help predict possible turbine locations that pose low and high risk to eagles, and they can be used to suggest alternatives to high risk sites that have similarly high potential for energy generation.
Oklahoma Bald Eagles
The central Great Plains, including Oklahoma, is an important focus area for development of new wind facilities. Wind turbines can present a risk to bald eagle populations; however, due to a lack of scientific information concerning flight behavior of these birds, it is challenging to make or implement sound management recommendations. While the effects of wind power on eagles have been extensively studied in the eastern and western U.S., there has been almost no research on this problem in the Great Plains area.
We are tracking bald eagles using GPS-GSM telemetry to acquire information that helps wildlife managers and energy developers make decisions to address potential conflict between bald eagles and wind turbines. We are also collecting information on topography, weather, and land cover to understand how environmental conditions affect eagles and may put them at risk from collisions with wind turbines.
Birds of Prey in the Central Appalachian Mountains
Wind power is among the fastest growing alternative energy sources in the mid-Atlantic region. This area is also home to the eastern population of North America's golden eagles. This population is small, geographically separate, and potentially genetically distinct from western populations. These birds breed in northeastern Canada and winter in the southern Appalachians, and migrate along the Appalachian corridor in spring and fall.
Our goal is to develop high-resolution spatial data of migration corridors of and habitat use by eastern golden eagles in regions of high potential for wind development. Because golden eagles are an important "umbrella" species for other birds, especially other raptors, this information helps land managers and industry develop and maintain wind facilities while also protecting a suite of potentially impacted species. Region-wide maps of relative risk of wind power development to eagles allow us to make specific recommendations regarding siting of new wind farms and operation of existing wind farms.
- Science
Learn about other projects led by Dr. Todd Katzner.
Conservation Ecology and Monitoring of Raptors
Raptors, or birds of prey, are often used to indicate the state of an ecosystem, and monitoring their populations can help us to understand ecosystem processes. Raptors are particularly good animals for monitoring because they are big and therefore charismatic and easy to observe. Whether we’re monitoring nesting biology and reproductive output, counting individuals on roads, or setting up trail...Bird Movement and Migration
Migration is an amazing annual event. Every year billions of animals – birds, mammals, insects, and fish – make long-distance journeys from breeding grounds to wintering grounds. Most northern hemisphere birds migrate southward, but there are many other ways that birds move seasonally. If we want to protect birds that take these long distance journeys, we need to understand why they move, why they... - Publications
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 17Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production
Renewable energy production can kill individual birds, but little is known about how it affects avian populations. We assessed the vulnerability of populations for 23 priority bird species killed at wind and solar facilities in California, USA. Bayesian hierarchical models suggested that 48% of these species were vulnerable to population-level effects from added fatalities caused by renewables andStochastic agent-based model for predicting turbine-scale raptor movements during updraft-subsidized directional flights
Rapid expansion of wind energy development across the world has highlighted the need to better understand turbine-caused avian mortality. The risk to golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) is of particular concern due to their small population size and conservation status. Golden eagles subsidize their flight in part by soaring in orographic updrafts, which can place them in conflict with wind turbinesFlight altitudes of raptors in southern Africa highlight vulnerability of threatened species to wind turbines
Energy infrastructure, particularly for wind power, is rapidly expanding in Africa, creating the potential for conflict with at-risk wildlife populations. Raptor populations are especially susceptible to negative impacts of fatalities from wind energy because individuals tend to be long-lived and reproduce slowly. A major determinant of risk of collision between flying birds and wind turbines is tRelative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Reduction in wildlife mortality is often cited as a potential advantage to repowering wind facilities, that is, replacing smaller, lower capacity, closely spaced turbines, with larger, higher capacity ones, more widely spaced. Wildlife mortality rates, however, are affected by more than just size and spacing of turbines, varying with turbine operation, seasonal and daily weather and habitat, all oEagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Collision‐caused fatalities of animals at wind power facilities create a ‘green versus green’ conflict between wildlife conservation and renewable energy. These fatalities can be mitigated via informed curtailment whereby turbines are slowed or stopped when wildlife are considered at increased risk of collision. Automated monitoring systems could improve efficacy of informed curtailment, yet suchUse of upland and riparian areas by wintering bald eagles and implications for wind energy
Weather can shape movements of animals and alter their exposure to anthropogenic threats. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are increasingly at risk from collision with turbines used in onshore wind energy generation. In the midwestern United States, development of this energy source typically occurs in upland areas that bald eagles use only intermittently. Our objective was to determine theUnderstanding the golden eagle and bald eagle sensory worlds to enhance detection and response to wind turbines
The objective for this study was to measure the auditory and visual physiology of Golden and Bald Eagles in order to use eagle sensory capabilities to inform the design of potential deterrent stimuli that could be used to reduce eagle/turbine collisions with wind turbines. The rationale for this approach is that sensory systems of any organism will limit the capability of that organism to perceiveLearning from real-world experience to understand renewable energy impacts to wildlife
The project team sought to use real-world data to understand adverse effects to wildlife of renewable energy production that is critical to meeting California’s climate and clean energy goals. The project had three main components. First, a systematic literature review studied 20 peer-reviewed publications and 612 reports from other nonreviewed sources from 231 wind and solar facilities in North AThe utility of point count surveys to predict wildlife interactions with wind energy facilities: An example focused on golden eagles
Wind energy development is rapidly expanding in North America, often accompanied by requirements to survey potential facility locations for existing wildlife. Within the USA, golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are among the most high-profile species of birds that are at risk from wind turbines. To minimize golden eagle fatalities in areas proposed for wind development, modified point count surveysFlight response to spatial and temporal correlates informs risk from wind turbines to the California Condor
Wind power is a fast-growing energy resource, but wind turbines can kill volant wildlife, and the flight behavior of obligate soaring birds can place them at risk of collision with these structures. We analyzed altitudinal data from GPS telemetry of critically endangered California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) to assess the circumstances under which their flight behavior may place them at risRaptor interactions with wind energy: Case studies from around the world
The global potential for wind power generation is vast, and the number of installations is increasing rapidly. We review case studies from around the world of the effects on raptors of wind-energy development. Collision mortality, displacement, and habitat loss have the potential to cause population-level effects, especially for species that are rare or endangered. The impact on raptors has much tGolden Eagle Monitoring Plan for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan
This report describes options for monitoring the status and population trends of the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) area of Southern California in maintaining stable or increasing population in the planning area. The report profiles the ecology of golden eagles in the region and provides a range of potential sampling options to address - News
Plain language descriptions for some related USGS products and publications.
- Partners
These are some of our partners.