A study found that painting one blade of a wind turbine a different color can significantly reduce bird collisions. This technique aims to break up the motion blur of rotating white blades, making turbines more visible to birds.
In an experiment at El Ruedo wind farm in Cadiz, Spain, researchers painted one blade black on four turbines between 2020 and 2021. Over the period from 2012 to 2024, daily checks for dead birds under these turbines and 16 control turbines showed a nearly 74% drop in annual bird fatality rates for the painted turbines.
Similar findings have been reported in other studies. A study in Norway noted a more than 70% decrease in bird fatalities after painting one blade black, and a South African study found an 83% reduction in bird deaths when one blade was painted red.
Source: Mongabay