Bird mortality on medium-voltage power lines in the Czech Republic

Abstract

In 2015–2016, 6,429 km medium-voltage power lines with 76,430 pylons were checked for bird mortality in the Czech Republic. 1,326 bird victims of power lines were found, 156 of which died after collisions, and 1,170 birds were electrocuted. They belonged to 60 species from 12 orders, and birds of prey made up almost half of all victims. Steel pylons bearing several cross-arms including upper and crosswise jumpers were identified as most dangerous from the electrocution point of view. On the other hand, pylons in straight lines with Pařát cross-arms (triangular arrangement of conductors without any horizontal bar) were among the least dangerous, and when they had a simple perch fitted below the cross-arm, no mortality was recorded. But these pylons are new in practice and despite becoming widely used recently, they form less than one tenth of all pylons in the Czech Republic. On other pylons various types of mitigation measures have been installed. Commonly used plastic covers and plastic strips have proved to be especially effective, but only in cases when they are undamaged and correctly installed.