Power lines stretched across wilderness areas are electrocuting raptors at alarming rates, according to The Guardian.
What's happening?
Spain loses a minimum of 33,000 raptors annually to electrocution from overhead wires.
Eagles, flamingos, and large wading birds often perch on these structures when no trees are nearby, with fatal results.
Small GPS units now strapped to birds give scientists data on flight patterns, behavior, and mortality. When a tracker goes silent, researchers know the bird has likely died.
"We weren't aware of the magnitude of the problem prior to this research," said Dr. Pascual López-López of the University of Valencia.
GPS tracking data has also uncovered illegal killings.
Bonelli's eagles, a protected species, continue to fall victim to shooting and poisoning by people who view them as pests or threats to pigeons.
Why is raptor electrocution concerning?
Raptors already face pressure from shrinking forests and urban sprawl.
Adding electrocution deaths on top of these existing threats pushes some populations closer to collapse.
Research shows 18% of bird species at risk of extinction are harmed by power infrastructure.
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$200 or more 💰 For Bonelli's eagles, keeping more adults alive each year could be the difference between survival and local extinction.
In the U.S., about 15% of power poles in golden eagle territory pose a high electrocution risk, making this a global concern, rather than one limited to Europe.
What's being done about raptor electrocution?
Fixes already exist and are working.
After poles were modified in Spain's Doñana National Park, Spanish imperial eagle deaths dropped by 97%.
"If we focus on fixing 15% of poles in golden eagle habitat, we're really taking control of a vast proportion of the problem," said Duncan Eccleston, a researcher at EDM International who works with electric utilities.
Electric companies worldwide have started constructing bird-safe poles as standard practice. Utilities have good reason to participate: when a large bird gets electrocuted, it can cause outages.
Individuals can help by supporting local conservation groups working on power line retrofit projects and by contacting their representatives to maintain wildlife-friendly infrastructure.
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