Vultures blind to the dangers of wind farms
Vultures have such large blind spots in their visual field that they cannot see objects directly in front of them when they fly. This discovery explains why vultures frequently collide with conspicuous structures such as wind turbines and power lines, despite having some of the sharpest eyes of any animal.
This means that making wind turbines more conspicuous will do little to reduce collisions. “You can paint them with bright stripes or hang things off them, but that won’t be effective,” says Graham Martin, an ornithologist at the University of Birmingham, UK, who led the study published this week in the journal Ibis1. “You’ve got to keep the birds and the turbines apart.”
Working with Steven Portugal from the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire and Campbell Murn from the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Hampshire, UK, Martin measured the visual fields of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) and African white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus). “I used the same device that an optician would use when you get an eye test,” he says. “These are big birds with big beaks. I did lose a bit of my thumb.”
The researchers found that vultures have large visual fields that give comprehensive coverage of the ground ahead and the sky on either side, allowing them to scan for food while observing other vultures. But they have large blind spots above and below their heads. When they fly, they tilt their heads downwards, so that the space directly in front of them becomes a blind area.
http://www.nature.com/news/vultures-blind-to-the-dangers-of-wind-farms-1.10214
= new reply since forum marked as read
> Vultures have such large blind spots in their visual field that they cannot see objects directly
> in front of them when they fly. This discovery explains why vultures frequently collide with
> conspicuous structures such as wind turbines and power lines, despite having some of the
> sharpest eyes of any animal.
That is important and proves that "You’ve got to keep the birds and the turbines apart" as other
"preventative measures" will not work - just adding cost without providing benefit.
Special kicklet for the Hawk Conservancy Trust though as they're just down the road from me
and we've spent many happy hours down there (both watching and flying). Glad to see that
their research work is also getting publicity rather than just their displays.
