Anti-wind activists frequently cite the number of birds killed by wind turbines as being in the millions per year but this number is far from established, well-researched truth. But what is well known is that even if the number is several million per year, this pales in comparison to the numbers killed by “[C]ollisions with buildings and attacks by domestic cats”. These two causes “account for a much higher number of bird fatalities annually, with estimates reaching up to 988 million and 4 billion, respectively.”
And of course something that needs to be kept front of mind is that “the indirect impacts through environmental changes are substantial and far-reaching.” How many birds - not just individuals but whole species - are put at risk by habitat destruction that often takes place during construction of fossil-fuel facilities like LNG ports, pipeline installation and excavation for mining operations (or sluicing ponds for toxic byproducts of the extraction process)?
So yes, we may need to consider carefully where we locate wind turbines and keep looking for ways to ‘warn’ the birds from colliding with the spinning blades but we also need to realize that by fighting climate change and adapting energy supplies that are less destructive of habitat we may be reducing the number of birds killed outright and also making it more likely that they will persist into the future.