Insects, Bats and Wind Turbines

Bat Eating a Katydid
Photo: Marco Tschapka

Wind towers for energy generation can kill birds and bats with their moving blades although they are low on the list of causes of mortality. Unlike birds that mostly encounter wind towers by chance, bats seem to be attracted to them. A recent study* found that bats are feeding on insects that alight on the towers. The smooth surface of the towers makes a suitable background for bats to detect resting insects by echolocation. Bats can swoop in at a low angle and capture resting insects. Bats feeding near wind towers consume some day flying insects that otherwise are not part of their diet.

*Jens Rydell, Wiesław Bogdanowicz, Arjan Boonman, Stefan Pettersson, Ewa Suchecka, Jan J. Pomorski. Bats may eat diurnal flies that rest on wind turbines. Mammalian Biology – Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.01.005