Wireless telecommunications and night flying birds: We may be sacrificing millions of migrants for convenience, entertainment and profit

Abstract

Small birds that winter in the tropics and breed in the northern hemisphere migrate at night. When the sky is overcast, particularly with rain or snow in the air, these migrants become attracted to and disoriented by the aircraft warning lights on tall structures. They often die as they strike the structures and supporting wires. Mass mortality events have been repeatedly recorded in the United States over the past half century. Migrants under threat from habitat destruction in their wintering and nesting areas are the most vulnerable. Tall towers are multiplying with the proliferation of cellular telephones and the introduction of digital television. Estimates based on available data in North America imply significant threats at the population level and a review of a recent bibliography suggests an unexplained concentration of risk in the Mississippi and central flyways. The telecommunications industry and the American and Canadian governments (in violation of treaty obligations and applicable regulations) are refusing to accept responsibility, support research, or adopt remedial measures. A brief survey of the international situation conducted by the author indicates tower proliferation worldwide, reports of nocturnal migrant deaths but no indication of government or industry interest or action. Systematic monitoring of mortality at towers is desperately required.