MAY 15,
2019
Every
year, bald and golden eagles are killed when they inadvertently fly into wind
turbine blades. One possible way to prevent these deaths is to chase the birds
away with acoustic signals—sound. To determine what types of sounds are most
effective in deterring the birds, researchers at the University of Minnesota
and their colleagues tested the behavioral responses of bald eagles to a
battery of both natural and synthetic acoustic stimuli.
Auditory
neuroscientist JoAnn McGee will present the results of those tests at the 177th
Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, which takes place from May 13-17,
at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky.
Three
adult bald
eagles were used for the study: two birds that are unable to survive
in the wild and live permanently at the university's Raptor Center, where the
testing was done, and one bird undergoing rehabilitation at the center prior to
release back into the wild.
Each bird
was tested within a 9- by 7-foot space lined with sound-damping materials. The
bird was perched on a bar in the center of the room, with loudspeakers mounted
on the wall to its right and left; a high-resolution video camera mounted
directly in front of the bird captured its reaction to the sounds.
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