SREL Reprint #3415

Scavenger removal of bird carcasses at simulated wind turbines: Does carcass type matter?

Travis L. DeVault1, Thomas W. Seamans1, Kimberly E. Linnell2, Dale W. Sparks3, and James C. Beasley4

1U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 USA
2Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Region 4, Great Falls, Montana 59405 USA
3Environmental Solutions & Innovations, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio 45232 USA
4Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources,
University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA

Abstract: Wind energy development can negatively impact bird populations due to bird–turbine collisions. To accurately estimate bird mortality at wind farms, the number of dead birds found under turbines is commonly corrected for carcass removal by scavengers, which is quantified by measuring persistence of experimental carcasses through time. These studies often use domestic birds as surrogates because carcasses of wild birds (e.g., raptors) are difficult to obtain. We assessed scavenger removal of carcasses from five bird species at simulated turbines to determine whether domestic surrogates are scavenged at a different rate than raptors, species of interest for wind turbine mortality. The percentage of carcasses scavenged during 14-d rounds ranged from 34.6% for American kestrels (Falco sparverius) to 65.4% for chickens (Gallus gallus), and the percentage of carcasses completely removed ranged from 13.5% for red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) to 67.3% for northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus). Carcass type (i.e., species) was the only predictor included in the best-fit logistic regression model of complete carcass removal, and a survival analysis indicated carcass type influenced elapsed time to scavenging events. Our results suggest the use of surrogate species to quantify carcass removal at wind turbines could lead to inaccurate mortality estimates.

Keywords: bird; carcass; collision; mortality; raptor; scavenger; wind turbine

SREL Reprint #3415

DeVault, T. L., T. W. Seamans, K. E. Linnell, D. W. Sparks, and J. C. Beasley. 2017. Scavenger removal of bird carcasses at simulated wind turbines: does carcass type matter? Ecosphere 8(11): 1-10.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).