Each year, wind turbines kill around 350,000 birds annually in the US. That’s why researchers have built an innovative device called the Acoustic Lighthouse that alerts birds in danger of crashing into a wind turbine.
Birds, which have eyes on the sides of their heads, look down and to the side when flying, meaning they don’t see wind turbines when they’re about to fly into them. What the Acoustic Lighthouse does is generate a high-pitch sound that prompts birds to slow down. When birds hit the brakes, they shift their body upright, causing them to look ahead instead of at the ground.
