Stripy wind turbines could save some birds

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-05-06 09:01

International

Figure 6. [cropped]: Bio-informed blade patterns which exploit the principles of bird vision. (A) Oblique stripes, designed to cause the blade’s rotation to generate a combined looming and rotational stimulus (red arrows). (B) Trailing-edge stripe, designed to direct edge-targeting behaviour away from the leading edge and to maximize rotational optic flow (red arrows). (C) Object markers, designed to promote collision avoidance: at the instant shown, there is no motion cue directly indicating the bird’s risk of being struck by the blade tip, whereas the second marker will be perceived as a collision hazard promoting evasive action (black arrow). CREDIT: Brighton, et al. 2026

Preventing birds from colliding with wind turbine blades could be as simple as a few paint stripes, according to international researchers who say this could help protect wildlife as renewable energy expands. The team looked at how birds perceive and navigate the world, and propose blade patterns, such as diagonal stripes or a trailing edge, could improve visibility and reduce bird collisions. While more field-based tests are needed, the team says these designs could help protect wildlife without stopping renewable technology.

News release

From: The Royal Society

Bio-informed blade patterns for mitigating bird collisions with wind turbines

Bird fatalities from wind turbine collisions are set to rise with the transition to renewable energy generation. Birds live in a very different sensory world to humans, so to understand how they respond to novel objects in their airspace we combine knowledge of their sensory ecology, visual strategies, flight behaviour and collision avoidance. We propose new turbine blade patterns which aim to improve detection and avoidance of the blades. Ultimately, we aim to guide new research towards bio-informed solutions that protect wildlife without inhibiting clean energy.

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Journal/
conference: Royal Society Interface

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: British Trust for Ornithology, UK

Funder: This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 682501). This paper was also supported by funding from gifts in Wills to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for which we are extremely grateful. Additional funding was provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC) grant to S.J.P. and G.K.T. (grant number CBR01610).

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