Wind turbines kill significant numbers of bats through direct collision and barotrauma, with migratory species particularly vulnerable during seasonal movements.
Bats killed by turbine strike experience acute traumatic death. Barotrauma causes internal haemorrhage in bats that fly through the low-pressure zone behind passing blades without direct contact. Injured bats that survive collision may die slowly from internal injuries. Migratory bats killed in large numbers during migration reduce population fitness. The scale of bat mortality from wind energy, estimated in the hundreds of thousands annually in Europe, warrants serious welfare and conservation consideration alongside the climate benefits of renewable energy.