Birds and the Power Lines

27 Mar Birds and the Power Lines

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Abstract

English Abstract

Electricity is necessary in the modern world but the power lines for carrying it across the territory can represent for wild birds disadvantages and advantages. In fact, power lines are responsible for the electrocution of many bird species, particularly species with large wing span. Electrocution has caused in the past and nowadays the death of thousands of wild birds in Europe and in the rest of the world. This review however, will discuss the situations in which birds can benefit from the power lines. In particular, it is described an experience launched in Rome in 1998 and still ongoing concerning the installation and subsequent monitoring of many nest boxes on the utility lines of the main local power companies. More than 200 nest boxes have been installed so far and were mostly occupied by kestrels and tawny owls. The kestrel reacted most successfully by occupying year after year an increasing number of boxes not only in natural habitats but also in urbanised areas. This suggests that the availability of nest sites represented an important limiting factor for the reproduction of this species. The regular monitoring of the nest boxes has allowed to record the progressive increase in the number of breeding birds and the collection of valuable data on the reproductive biology of this species.