Wildlife impacts of wind turbines
In the early 1980s, three major wind farms were built in passes in California. At the Altamont Pass site, deaths of birds, particularly raptors, prompted a number of studies that subsequently influenced both the design of newer wind turbines and the siting of wind farms. It was discovered that raptors perch atop the wind generators for a better view while hunting, and upon rare occasion get caught in the spinning blades when the wind begins to blow. Current wind turbine technology offers solid tubular towers to prevent birds from perching on them. Turbine blades also rotate more slowly than those of earlier designs, reducing potential for collisions with birds.