A useful compilation of statistics that helps us all understand why the term “bird brain” is so appropriate.
Wind power, of course, won’t obviate the need for transmission lines, so any bird mortality associated with wind farms themselves would be in addition to the mortality related to getting the electricity they generate to the places that need it.
In my mind, these statistics reinforce the merits of relying on mini-nuclear power plants of a size that can power 20,000 homes. Such a decentralized power source would obviate the need for the thousands of miles of power transmission lines that apparently cause birds so many problems; it would eliminate the problems caused by widespread power outages; and it would be infinitely more secure against terrorist attacks on the power grid. Since such plants would be buried underground, their aesthetic advantages over massive wind farms also should be pretty obvious.
