Migratory bats face unique welfare threats from wind turbines, disease, and habitat loss along flyways.
Migratory bat welfare is threatened by wind turbine fatalities at a scale that is difficult to fully assess but certainly significant. Bats are attracted to wind turbines, possibly by insect concentration around warm structures, and are killed by blade strikes or barotrauma from pressure differentials. Curtailment — slowing or stopping turbines during peak bat migration periods at low wind speeds — dramatically reduces fatalities without significant energy loss. This technical solution exists and should be widely implemented as a welfare-positive component of wind energy development.