Colour vision in birds: consequences to fatal collisions with wind farms

风电场是全球可持续能源发电的关键组成部分。然而，许多鸟类因与风力发电场相撞而死亡，这构成了一个悬而未决且有争议的保护问题。澳大利亚风力发电场的激增将加剧这一问题。鸟类依靠视觉通过静止和移动的物体。风电场目前的颜色符合人类的审美标准，但鸟类可能看不见，因为它们看颜色的方式与人类不同。我们将测定鸟类的光谱灵敏度，并将它们与风电场的光谱反射率进行比较。然后，我们将改进风力发电场对鸟类的能见度，从而减少死亡人数。

Wind-farms represent a key component of sustainable energy generation world-wide. However, many birds die as a result of collisions with wind-farms, posing an unsolved and controversial conservation issue. The proliferation of wind-farms in Australia will exacerbate the problem. Birds rely on vision to negotiate static and moving objects. Wind-farms, currently coloured to meet human aesthetic criteria, may be 'invisible' to birds since they see colours differently from humans. We will determine bird spectral sensitivities and compare them to the spectral reflectance of wind-farms. We will then develop modifications improving the visibility of wind-farms to birds, thereby reducing fatalities.