Wind turbines to be painted black to save at-risk birds from going extinct

Wind turbine blades could be painted black in a bid to prevent sea birds at risk of extinction from flying into them.

Thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ cash could be spent repainting the white blades to make them more visible, according to a tender submitted by the Government.

Fatalities among “red-listed” sea birds are soaring due to the growing number of eco-energy turbines out at sea.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has proposed a “multi-year programme of work to gather evidence to test whether turbine blade painting is achievable in protecting vulnerable sea birds”.

It added that if successful, painting could become a long-term part of its Offshore Wind Evidence and Change scheme.

The testing will consist of a laboratory trial on the efficacy of various different blade patterns under controlled conditions, and a field trial that will determine if they are effective in real life.

Birds on the UK red list – those classed as “vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered” – include puffins, Arctic terns, kittiwakes and great and Arctic Skuas.

Painting just one blade of a turbine black could reduce bird collisions at wind farms by up to 70%, according to researchpublished in Ecology and Evolution.

Bird strikes have long been considered as a major concern for those opposed to onshore wind.

The RSPB acknowledged the paint findings, but stressed that wind farms still should not be built in spots where wildlife might suffer as a result.

Dr Roel May, co-author of the study from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, highlighted the environmental concern, particularly for raptors.

Six to nine white-tailed eagles are killed annually at Norway’s Smøla Wind Farm, a site with 68 turbines spanning just over 10 square miles, he noted.

To address the issue, researchers tested painting one blade on some turbines black – and Dr May explained: “The expectation is that this reduces motion smear, making the blades more visible to birds.”

The study recorded a 70% reduction in bird deaths around turbines with painted blades, compared to those without.

However, Dr May cautioned that further experiments across various sites are required to confirm the results, because effectiveness may vary by location and species. Defra declined to comment.