When the expansion of wind energy is discussed, one argument that often arises is the alleged large-scale killing of birds by wind turbines. For years, this idea has shaped the debate on renewable energies.
But how big is the problem in reality?
The effects of windfarms on birds have been documented and researched since the 1990s. According to the latest studies, the number of birds killed by wind turbines in Germany is between 100,000 and 250,000 per year. This figure may seem alarming at first glance, but it actually represents only about 0.05% of the total bird population.
It is worth comparing this figure with other causes of avian mortality to put it into perspective: in Germany alone, free-roaming domestic cats kill around 100 to 200 million birds every year. That is 400 to 2,000 times the number attributed to wind turbines.