Wind turbines in Thar a major bird killer: Study

A comprehensive ecological assessment by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has found that wind turbines in Rajasthan's Thar Desert are responsible for an estimated 13,359 bird deaths annually, including 953 raptors, primarily due to collisions with turbine blades and associated infrastructure.

- Dinesh Bothra

JODHPUR:

Conducted across a 3,000 sq km landscape in the desert containing around 900 turbines, the study estimated an average of 1.24 bird deaths per turbine per month. The adjusted annual mortality rate—4,470 birds per 1,000 sq km—places this region near the upper limit of global estimates of wind turbine-related bird deaths.

According to the study—conducted during January 2020 to September 2021, and published in the Scientific Reports journal on June 1, 2025—carcass surveys conducted at 90 randomly selected turbines showed 124 bird deaths, whereas no carcasses were found at nearby control sites without turbines. After correcting for scavenger removal and detection biases, the researchers concluded that wind turbine-related mortality was substantially higher than natural causes.