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ScienceQuiet 10d · day 16

Study finds wind turbines killed 18.7 million US bats since 1981

A new PNAS analysis of 499 wind farm reports finds bat deaths have topped 1.5 million a year since 2021, with researchers proposing design fixes.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 11d ago13 pieces3 likes & upvotes2 comments NewswiresGoogle NewsMastodonRedditHacker News

What to know

  • A PNAS study estimates 18.7 million bats were killed by US wind turbines between 1981 and 2024, with annual deaths exceeding 1.5 million since 2021.
  • Hoary bats, eastern red bats and silver-haired bats account for the largest share of deaths; several bat species are already threatened or endangered.
  • Researchers link higher mortality to turbines near rivers and with longer blades, and suggest greater ground clearance and site selection could cut deaths without major loss of energy output.
  • Coverage frames the findings as a tension between clean-energy expansion and wildlife protection, with calls for standardized monitoring and public reporting by wind farms.

“advance research to really support effective conservation measures and science-driven decision-making in the future”

Charles Labuzzetta, Researcher, Fort Collins Science Center · New Scientist ↗ · Oct 25

Charles Labuzzetta Researcher, Fort Collins Science CenterBethany Straw Researcher, Fort Collins Science Center

Study finds wind turbines killed 18.7 million US bats since 1981
New Scientist

How it unfolded 5 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 4 pieces in 4h at Oct 27, 10 AM; 13 pieces over 16 days (9 articles · 4 posts) Oct 26, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Oct 26, 6 PM — quietOct 26, 10 PM — quietOct 27, 2 AM — quietOct 27, 6 AM — quietOct 27, 10 AM — 4 pieces · 4 articles — Google News 3, Newswires 1Oct 27, 2 PM — quietOct 27, 6 PM — quietOct 27, 10 PM — quietOct 28, 2 AM — quietOct 28, 6 AM — quietOct 28, 10 AM — quietOct 28, 2 PM — quietOct 28, 6 PM — quietOct 28, 10 PM — quietOct 29, 2 AM — quietOct 29, 6 AM — quietOct 29, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Google News 1, Mastodon 1Oct 29, 2 PM — quietOct 29, 6 PM — quietOct 29, 10 PM — quietOct 30, 2 AM — quietOct 30, 6 AM — quietOct 30, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 30, 2 PM — quietOct 30, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Reddit 1Oct 30, 10 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Google News 2, Newswires 1Oct 31, 2 AM — quietOct 31, 6 AM — quietOct 31, 10 AM — quietOct 31, 2 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — quietOct 31, 10 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 9 AM — quietNov 1, 1 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — quietNov 1, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Nov 2, 1 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 9 AM — quietNov 2, 1 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 9 PM — quietNov 3, 1 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 9 AM — quietNov 3, 1 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 9 PM — quietNov 4, 1 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 9 AM — quietNov 4, 1 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 9 PM — quietNov 5, 1 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 9 AM — quietNov 5, 1 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 9 PM — quietNov 6, 1 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 9 AM — quietNov 6, 1 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 9 PM — quietNov 7, 1 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 9 AM — quietNov 7, 1 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 9 PM — quietNov 8, 1 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 9 AM — quietNov 8, 1 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 9 PM — quietNov 9, 1 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 9 AM — quietNov 9, 1 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quietToday, 1 PM — quietToday, 5 PM — quiet 1234–5
Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 7Nov 9now · 9:50 PM ET
  1. 5

    Euronews frames toll as a 'shocking' rise amid wind power boom

    Euronews characterizes the death toll as having spiralled alongside the wind energy boom, while noting researchers say solutions exist to curb the losses.

  2. 4

    Social media and forums spread the bat death figures

    Reddit posts and a Mastodon repost circulate the CBC and Gadget Review coverage of the 18.7 million bat death estimate, extending the story's reach online.

  3. 3

    CBC outlines possible mitigation measures for bats

    CBC's climate desk publishes a follow-up piece on what can be done to reduce the turbines' impact on bat populations, drawing on the same study's findings.

    1. 1 outlet Wind turbines have scary impacts on bats. Here's what can be done

      first by CBC, 13d ago

  4. 1 day quiet
  5. 2

    Phys.org and Yahoo amplify the 18-19 million death estimate

    Phys.org and Yahoo, via Google News, repeat the study's headline figure, calling it the most comprehensive study of wind turbine bat mortality to date.

  6. 1

    Study estimates 18.7 million US bat deaths from turbines

    New Scientist reports on a PNAS analysis by Fort Collins Science Center researchers that used 499 wind farm reports across 48 states to estimate bat deaths from 1981 to 2024, finding annual deaths have exceeded 1.5 million since 2021.

    “We know bats are being impacted, but could we change the engineering or sites of a turbine to minimise those impacts?”
    — Bethany Straw
    1. 2 outlets Wind Turbines Have Killed an Estimated 18.7 Million Bats

      first by Yahoo, 15d ago · also New Scientist

      1 more headline
    2. 1 outlet Scientists reveal the staggering number of bat deaths at wind turbines

      first by Phys.org, 15d ago

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets How many bats are killed by wind turbines? Study warns of ‘shocking’ increase amid clean energy boom

    first by Yahoo News Canada, 11d ago · also Euronews

    1 more headline