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Migrating Whooping Cranes avoid wind‐energy infrastructure when selecting stopover habitat by Aaron T. Pearse; Kristine L. Metzger; David A. Brandt; Jill A. Shaffer; Mark T. Bidwell; Wade Harrell is a Environmental Science article available to read on EtoBox.

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## Abstract Electricity generation from renewable‐energy sources has increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. Risks associated with wind‐energy infrastructure are not well understood for endangered Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) or other vulnerable Crane populations. From 2010 to 2016, we monitored 57 Whooping Cranes with remote‐telemetry devices in the United States Great Plains to determine potential changes in migration distribution (i.e., avoidance) caused by presence of wind‐energy infrastructure. During our study, the number of wind towers tripled in the Whooping Crane migration corridor and quadrupled in the corridor’s center. Median distance of Whooping Crane locations from nearest wind tower was 52.1 km, and 99% of locations were >4.3 km from wind towers. A habitat selection analysis revealed that Whooping Cranes used areas ≤5.0 km (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.8–5.4) from towers less than expected (i.e., zone of influence) and that Whooping Cranes were 20 times (95% CI 14–64) more likely to use areas outside compared to adjacent to towers. Eighty percent of Whooping Crane locations and 20% of wind towers were located in areas with the highest relative proba

Who reads Migrating Whooping Cranes avoid wind‐energy infrastructure when selecting stopover habitat?

Author

Aaron T. Pearse; Kristine L. Metzger; David A. Brandt; Jill A. Shaffer; Mark T. Bidwell; Wade Harrell

Publisher

Wiley

Published

2021

Language

EN

Field

Environmental Science (Physical Sciences)