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Direct Strikes
Birds can be killed by direct strike with a wind turbine. Songbirds have the highest mortality rates for these kinds of collisions -- three-quarters of all birds killed at wind farms are songbirds -- though scientists say more songbirds die each year from other human-caused dangers, such as flying into windows and being attacked by pet cats. Birds may be most susceptible to being hit by a wind turbine blade when the wind farm is in their migration corridor and when the bird is flying at low elevations, which can happen during bad weather.
Barrier Effect
The development of new wind farms can also affect birds because of the "barrier effect." This happens when the new wind farm causes birds to change their behavior to avoid flying through the area covered with windmills. For example, scientists are concerned that some wind farms could create a barrier between feeding areas and breeding areas.
Habitat Loss
Building a new wind farm can also affect birds if the turbines are put up in an area that was directly used by the birds. The magnitude of the impact depends on how rare the habitat type was. Wind farms can also fragment swaths of habitats used by one bird species, making the two smaller pieces of habitat less useful.
Noise
Wind turbine blades create noise that can affect the ability of birds to communicate with one another. Scientists have found that an increase in sound from turbines of 3 decibels can reduce the distance that birds can communicate across by 30 percent, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An increase in 10 decibels reduces the distance by 90 percent. The turbine noise can also cause long-term hearing damage in some bird species.