https://www.science.org/content/article/electrocuted-birds-are-sparking-wildfires Advertisement * * news * careers * commentary * Journals * Covid-19 Science Science * * * Log in * Become A Member [science] science [sciadv] science advances [sciimmunol] science immunology [scirobotics] science robotics [signaling] science signaling [stm] science translational medicine [spj-cover] science partner journals Quick Search anywhere Enter Search Term[ ] Quick Search in Journals Enter Search Term[ ] Quick Search in Journals Enter Search Term[ ] Quick Search in Journals Enter Search Term[ ] Quick Search in Journals Enter Search Term[ ] Quick Search in Journals Enter Search Term[ ] Quick Search in Journals Enter Search Term[ ] Searching: Anywhere AnywhereScienceScience AdvancesScience ImmunologyScience Robotics Science SignalingScience Translational Medicine Advanced Search Search Trending Terms: * covid-19 * climate * science policy * genome editing * batteries Log In Become A Member Quick Search anywhere Enter Search Term[ ] science.org * Custom publishing * collections * videos * podcasts * blogs * visualizations * prizes and awards * authors & reviewers * librarians * advertisers * about * help * * * * * * AAAS Logo * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Accessibility * News Home * All News * ScienceInsider * News Features GET OUR E-ALERTS HomeNewsAll NewsElectrocuted birds are sparking wildfires Back To All News * News * Plants & Animals Electrocuted birds are sparking wildfires U.S. study finds more than three dozen bird-related blazes over past few years * 17 Jun 2022 * 5:15 PM * ByRichard Kemeny Firefighters battle a blaze in Valparaiso, Chile A wildfire that raged through central Chile in 2014 is thought to have been caused by electrocuted birds.Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images Share: * Twitter * Linked In * Facebook * Reddit * Wechat * Email In 2014, a wildfire ripped through central Chile, destroying 2500 homes and killing at least 13 people. A year later, a blaze in Idaho burned more than 4000 hectares, an area nearly 12 times the size of New York City's Central Park. Both conflagrations had one thing in common: Experts believe they were started by birds. Our feathered friends love to perch on power lines, which can be a great place to rest and launch an attack. But if a bird touches the wrong wires together, or somehow forms an electrical pathway to the ground, it can get fried. Falling to the floor like winged Molotov cocktails, birds can spark an inferno if they hit an especially dry, tindered patch of earth. More than three dozen fires started this way in the United States from 2014 to 2018, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of such blazes. "The ecological and economic losses are substantial," says Antoni Margalida, a conservation biologist at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology who has studied the impacts of wildfires caused by birds and other fauna in Spain but who was not involved with the work. Humans are responsible for the vast majority of wildfires in the United States. Lightning and even heat from the Sun can also spark blazes. But flaming birds have gotten less attention. To better document this fowl play, Taylor Barnes, a biologist at EDM International, an engineering consultancy firm in Colorado, collected data on wildfires across the United States. He and his colleagues used Google Alerts to monitor fires started by birds between 2014 and 2018, using keyword pairs: "fire" and "eagle," for example. They filtered out any findings unrelated to power lines, such as those referring to vehicles. "The Pontiac Firebird came up a lot," Barnes says. The scientists then discounted any speculative reports, only keeping those with evidence of a bird as the cause. These could include a photograph of a burned bird carcass at the fire's ignition site, or a statement made by an expert, such as a firefighter, detailing the presumed cause of the fire. Finally, they checked to see whether any particular environment was especially susceptible to these fires. The researchers found 44 reports of avian-induced wildfires, they report this month in the Wildlife Society Bulletin. Twelve (the densest cluster of fires) occurred in an ecological region that stretches from southern Oregon through California to northern Mexico, bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Nevada mountains. This area, a diverse mix of valleys, hills, and mountains, has a warm Mediterranean-style climate unique to North America, with mild, wet winters fed by the ocean, followed by hot, dry summers. It is also prone to severe droughts. This combination creates large amounts of vegetation in the winter that quickly dries out to become potential fuel. "That's why we see a lot of fires going to the catastrophic level," Barnes says. The region is also densely populated, which may make unwanted urban-wildlife interactions, such as electrocuted large raptors (hawks, eagles, and owls) more likely. "The interaction between humans developing more in raptor habitat could certainly be a driver," he says. The wildfires reported in the study were generally small: Most of them burned about 1.2 hectares, a touch over two U.S. football fields. Yet there is a clear potential for large-scale devastation, as the Idaho and Chile fires show. Powerlines aren't just a fire hazard; they're also a threat to birds. A recent study in Iran found that of the 235 birds electrocuted there in 2018, 15% were species of conservation concern such as the steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) and the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Birds of prey--particularly those with large wings such as buzzards and eagles--are especially vulnerable to electrocution at power poles, says Graham Martin, an ornithologist at the University of Birmingham. "When landing or taking off from the perch, they are likely to touch two wires simultaneously." Bird electrocutions are "an emerging problem" around the world, Margalida says. To minimize wildfire impacts, he says, electric utilities in regions characterized by wet winters and hot, dry summers should modify power infrastructure. Electric utility companies can insulate wires and install spikes to discourage perching; they could also build structures that allow for safer perching on transformers, Barnes says. Such engineering can be expensive, he admits. But, he says, "Compared to the potential financial costs of litigation, and loss of human life, loss of infrastructure, they are minor costs." --------------------------------------------------------------------- doi: 10.1126/science.add5467 Relevant tags: Plants & Animals About the author Richard Kemeny Twitter Author Richard Kemeny is a science journalist in London. --------------------------------------------------------------------- More from news A sex worker in Mozambique, gets tested for HIV. 21 Jun 2022 Long-lasting HIV prevention drug too slow to reach Africa, activists say By * Andrew Green Colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox virus particles 20 Jun 2022 Why the monkeypox outbreak is mostly affecting men who have sex with men By * Kai Kupferschmidt Researchers measure giant stingray on Mekong River in Cambodia 20 Jun 2022 In Cambodia, researchers document the world's largest freshwater fish By * Dennis Normile View more Got a tip for Science's news department? Connect Subscribe to News from Science Don't yet have access? Subscribe to News from Science for full access to breaking news and analysis on research and science policy. Subscribe Advertisement ScienceInsider Building 1, the James Shannon building, at the National Institutes of Health 17 Jun 2022By * Jocelyn Kaiser NIH launches grant program aimed at closing the funding rate gap between Black and white investigators Paolo Macchiarini 16 Jun 2022By * Gretchen Vogel Disgraced Italian surgeon convicted of criminal harm to stem cell patient [_news_insi] 16 Jun 2022By * Jeffrey Mervis Arkansas scientist gets 1-year sentence in case stemming from China Initiative Conceptual illustration of a female holding keys and standing under a street light, forming the shape of a knife 16 Jun 2022By * Tess Joosse Murders of women worldwide remain vastly undercounted. Activists are now filling in the gaps View more Advertisement Sifter large mouse 17 Jun. 2022By * Viviana Flores Molecule produced after exercise could stave off hunger a pulse ox on a hand 1 Jun 2022By * Rodrigo Perez Ortega 'Racially biased' devices caused delayed treatment for Black COVID-19 patients illustration of dinosaurs and hummingbird 26 May 2022By * Tess Joosse Were dinosaurs warm blooded? New study says yes 3d model of sloth footprints 13 Apr 2022By * Zack Savitsky Ancient human playground found inside sloth footprints View more RecommendedClose LettersNovember 2015 Wildfires--Response EditorialSeptember 2015 Wildfires burn science capacity LettersMarch 2018 Agricultural policy can reduce wildfires LettersMarch 2018 Rethinking wildfires and forest watersheds Advertisement Support nonprofit science journalism Help News from Science publish trustworthy, high-impact stories about research and the people who shape it. Please make a tax-deductible gift today. Donate [logo-dark] x ( ) $25 (*) $50 ( ) $100 ( ) Other $ [ ] Please enter a valid email (*) Single ( ) Monthly Email: [ ] Please enter a valid email Country: [United States ] [ ] I also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events. Donate now Support nonprofit science journalism If we've learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's that we cannot wait for a crisis to respond. Science and AAAS are working tirelessly to provide credible, evidence-based information on the latest scientific research and policy, with extensive free coverage of the pandemic. Your tax-deductible contribution plays a critical role in sustaining this effort. Charitable Disclosures Loading... Skip slideshow Follow Us * * * * * * * NEWS * All News * ScienceInsider * News Features * Subscribe to News from Science * News from Science FAQ * About News from Science * CAREERS * Careers Articles * Find Jobs * Employer Profiles * COMMENTARY * Opinion * Analysis * Blogs * JOURNALS * Science * Science Advances * Science Immunology * Science Robotics * Science Signaling * Science Translational Medicine * Science Partner Journals * AUTHORS & REVIEWERS * Information for Authors * Information for Reviewers * LIBRARIANS * Manage Your Institutional Subscription * Library Admin Portal * Request a Quote * Librarian FAQs * ADVERTISERS * Advertising Kits * Custom Publishing Info * Post a Job * RELATED SITES * AAAS.org * AAAS Communities * EurekAlert! * Science in the Classroom * ABOUT US * Leadership * Work at AAAS * Prizes and Awards * HELP * FAQs * Access and Subscriptions * Order a Single Issue * Reprints and Permissions * TOC Alerts and RSS Feeds * Contact Us Follow Us * * * * * * AAAS logo (c) 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved. AAAS is a partner of HINARI, AGORA, OARE, CHORUS, CLOCKSS, CrossRef and COUNTER. back to top * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Accessibility