Energy is spent to protect birds from threat of power lines

Scientists are increasingly concerned about the number of birds killed by running into power lines and wind turbines, said Al Manville, a senior wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but there are reports of success in preventing such incidents -- at least in the case of the power lines.

More lines and turbines are planned in coming years, which could put several species of birds at risk, Manville said.

"We've got to address our carbon footprint and deal with climate change," he said, "but we want to make sure, in the process, we don't create new problems."

If a project taking place in the Dakotas is successful, researchers say, it could hold implications throughout the Central Flyway, a major bird migration route that stretches from the Dakotas to Texas.

The study, underway near Coleharbor, N.D., by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Western ...