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Impacts of Communication Towers on Avians: A Review
Abstract and Figures
Birds are powerful indicator of an ecosystem because of their thin skull, feathers as dielectric receptor, high mobility and use of areas having high electromagnetic field. Among the total publications on the impact of electromagnetic radiation on living beings, only 3% are on birds. Both positive and negative results are reported regarding the biological responses of birds exposed to electromagnetic fields from communication towers. This review highlights the researches on the potential impact of electromagnetic field radiation on avians. However an uncertainty exists due to small number of investigations and possible biological effects arise from electromagnetic field exposure are inconclusive. I. Introduction Rapid development of telecommunication devices in last decade has caused enhancement of human interference with nature. As a result undesirable impacts are noticed on biological, physical and ecological systems. At present 20% of global mobile users are Indians. To combat the need of mobile connection huge number of mobile towers is installed in urban and rural areas. The unseen electromagnetic radiation emitted from the mobile towers, transmission lines and power lines induces undesirable impact on living beings in a multiple ways causing pollution known as electromagnetic smog. We are all surrounded by this newly identified pollution. First non commercial telephone service was launched in 1995 in India. Before 1990 global use of mobile handsets was a few. But in India the increase in number of mobile users are so rapid that India is in second position in world as mobile subscriber. GSM base stations emit EM radiation at 900MHz and 1800 MHz down link frequencies and pulse modulated low frequency [1-2]. The power density at a distance of 50m, 100m and 150m are respectively 10μW/cm
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... Also to increase the frequency of towers but with lesser power transmission (Ghildiyal et al. 2014). • Bhattacharya and Roy (2013), conducted a study to determine the interrelation between avian occurrences, nesting and electromagnetic radiation emitted from the towers at Kalyani, West Bengal. Determination of number of birds and their nest also recording the respective power density in different locations was done by point count method. ...
... Hence they are more exposed to the radiation. Fundamental research on migratory birds showed solid negative relationships between extent of radiation from the tower and birds activity such as breeding, locomotion, and reproduction in the vicinity of the EMR waves (Bhattacharya and Roy 2013). Impacted immune systems will always expand the chances of a bird to have diseases, infections, parasites. ...
... Both positive and negative results are reported regarding the biological responses of birds exposed to electromagnetic fields from communication towers. Most studies indicate the possibilities of changes in behavior, physiology, breeding success, and mortality [2] . Many incidents have been reported during this study where birds found power lines as obstacles during flight and landing with several incidents of their life being at risk. ...
The goal of the study was to evaluate how human activity has affected
avifauna in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan. The avifauna of Bhilwara
district was seen in a variety of habitats including forests, agricultural areas,
rural and urban areas. For the study of avifauna, the direct observation method
was applied. Bird Census Techniques such as line-transect, focal method,
visual encounter method, scan-sampling method and indirect method, etc.
were also used. We saw numerous factors such as paved roads, bird-vehicle
collisions, traffic noise, highway lighting, urban landscapes & structures,
tourism, and many anthropogenic factors that are harmful to birds. We
observed the impact of urbanization on avian behaviors such as distribution,
population size, habitat preferences, roosting choice, feeding choice, nesting,
and breeding, etc. in the Bhilwara district. For the reduction of these impacts,
creation of a buffer zone and strict implementation of the regulation are
needed.
... Low avian abundance and breeding success near mobile towers and high voltage power transmission towers have been observed in Punjab might be due to the clandestine effect of electromagnetic radiations along with the other unforeseen factors (Kler et al., 2018). However, uncertainty exists in possible biological effects arise from electromagnetic field exposure on birds (Bhattacharya and Roy, 2013). River Beas harbors a rich avian diversity; it also hosts a large number of migratory birds at Harike wetland. ...
Punjab is an agrarian state nurtured by the river Beas and Satluj with a maximum gross cropped area of 98.5% in India. River Beas had been designated as "Conservation Reserve" in 2017 and "Ramsar site" in 2019. Agriculture affects 87% of the globally threatened bird species. Birds are the most noticeable and specialized species in the river habitats; hence the abundance and distribution of birds are often readily interpreted in the context of river health and vice versa. The chapter has been designed to understand the impact of agriculture, urbanization, tree diversity and wetlands along the river on avian diversity based on literature available for the state of Punjab. The chapter aims to generate sustainable management strategies for the conservation of avian diversity at Beas river conservation reserve without hampering the development of the region. The present work reveals that agriculture intensification and urbanization are major concern for avian diversity conservation as both these factors negatively impacts the habitat specialist bird species and favors generalist and insectivore species. The study concludes that significant number of species recorded have specific niche area requirements that are completed by the river's sub-habitats including feeding, foraging, roosting and nesting therefore the whole area needs protection as a single unit.
... Birds are accounted to be highly troubled due to exposures to tele radiations. Since radiation may have both thermal and non-thermal effects on living tissues, it is highly able to hamper their nesting, egg laying, roosting, feeding and associated behaviours [12]. There are ample evidences that birds avoid high radiation zones, especially, the cell phone masts [13,14]. ...
The enhanced use of wireless telephony and internet services is an indispensable need of the hour to keep up the economy and thus meet the global pace. But amongst all of the much-studied deadly environmental pollutions, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is the newer one and global concern. Although studies regarding its ill impacts on human health are a major concern; a number of results also reveal the impacts on other creatures too. An adverse relation between EMR and common birds is concluded several times. A comparative baseline bird survey between an EMR exposed location and an EMR free location; with identical weather conditions has been documented in the current investigation. The experimental fields are located in suburban, rural; agricultural, and forest areas of Arambagh subdivision (22.88°N, 87.78°E) of West Bengal, India, and the studies were carried out in the month of September of this year. Only 28.08% of birds are found near the EMR exposed zones however the occurrence of small birds is very few compared to large birds.
... Birds are accounted to be highly troubled due to exposures to tele radiations. Since radiation may have both thermal and non-thermal effects on living tissues, it is highly able to hamper their nesting, egg laying, roosting, feeding and associated behaviours [12]. There are ample evidences that birds avoid high radiation zones, especially, the cell phone masts [13,14]. ...
Abstract: The enhanced use of wireless telephony and internet services is indispensible need of the hour to keep up economy and thus meet the global pace. But amongst all of the much studied deadly environmental pollutions, electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) is the newer one and global concern. Although studies regarding its ill impacts on human health are the major concern; a number of results also reveal the impacts on other creatures too. An adverse relation between EMR and common birds is concluded several times. A comparative baseline bird survey between an EMR exposed location and an EMR free location; with identical weather conditions has been documented in the current investigation. The experimental fields are located in sub urban, rural; agriculture and forest areas of Arambagh subdivision (22.88°N, 87.78°E) of West Bengal, India and the studies were carried out in the month of September of this year. Only 28.08% birds are found near the EMR exposed zones however occurrence of small birds are very few compared to large birds.
Key Words: Wireless telephony, Habitat, Environmental Pollution, Bird Survey.
... On the basis of the present study we may conclude that there exists a considerable need to conduct detailed studies pertaining to various aspects of avian ecology in agricultural landscapes. Birds are good ecological indicators (Bhattacharya & Roy, 2013) [2] and good monitors of environmental change (Furness & Greenwood, 1996) [8] . ...
We carried out a survey to prepare a checklist of birds across agricultural landscape of Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India. 146 species belonging to 49 families of 17 orders were recorded. Maximum numbers of species belong to the families Accipitridae and Muscicapidae (10 each). 29% of the recorded species have a decreasing population trend while that of 12% of the species is unknown. Only one species (Egyptian Vulture) is endangered according to IUCN, while the number of near threatened and vulnerable species is six each. We ranked the species according to their encounter rate and found that only three species are abundant while 72 of them are rare. The present study is expected to give direction to future studies on various aspects of avian ecology across agricultural landscapes.
Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus), Indian black ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) and Black kite (Milvus migrans) nesting on mobile tower is an example of rapid adaptation of bird's to anthropogenic and urban development activities. The cutting of large and old trees, habitat loss due to deforestation, expansion of urbanization, industrialization and mining of rocks leads to a lack of appropriate and suitable natural nesting or roosting sites for birds. Alteration in the natural environment and loss of habitats is responsible for birds nesting on anthropogenic-made structures like mobile towers, electric poles etc.
The paper published by Nath et al. (Urban Ecosystems 25:1279–1295, 2022) analyzes the influence of different ecological factors and covariates on House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) abundance but criticizes previous research without explaining in depth the scientific reasons for it and reaches conclusions not supported by the authors’ own data nor by existing knowledge and scientific evidence. They state that studies on the impacts of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on birds outside laboratory conditions carried out in the past did not consider other ecological factors that could also influence the life history needs of the species. However, precisely the opposite is true; the studies carried out so far, taking into account most of the possible factors to consider, including urbanization, have not been able to solve the enigma of the House Sparrow decline in many of the world's cities. Thus, it is necessary to propose new possible causes not considered so far. Among the few that remain to be tested is the electromagnetic radiation hypothesis, which was proposed by two independent research teams in two different countries. This paper is a reply of the work developed by Nath et al. (Urban Ecosystems 25:1279–1295, 2022) that highlight their inconclusive results and methodological flaws due to the correlation observed between radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and urbanization, complement their results showing negative correlations when testing House Sparrow abundance with electromagnetic radiation levels correcting for the percentage of builtup, and clarify some statements and misconceptions (importance of non-thermal effects).
In recent decades, there has been a decline of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), mainly in European cities, and several hypotheses have been proposed that attempt to determine the causes of this rapid decline. Previous studies indicated that house sparrows were significantly negatively associated with increasing electromagnetic radiation and sparrows disappeared from areas most polluted. In addition, there are many studies on the impact of radiation on other bird and non-bird species, as well as numerous laboratory studies that demonstrated detrimental effects at electric field strength levels that can be found in cities today. Electromagnetic radiation is the most plausible factor for multiple reasons, including that this is the only one that affects the other hypotheses proposed so far. It is a type of pollution that affects productivity, fertility, decreases insects (chicken feed), causes loss of habitat, decreases immunity and can promote disease. Additionally, the recent sparrow decline matches the deployment of mobile telephony networks. Further, there are known mechanisms of action for non-thermal effects of electromagnetic radiation that may affect sparrows causing their decline. Thus, electromagnetic radiation must be seriously considered as a factor for house sparrows’ decline, probably in synergy with the other factors previously proposed.
This paper summarizes a field survey which was conducted in different sites of Mobile towers located in Lolab Valley, Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir to examine and analyze the effect of mobile tower radiation on birds. During the survey period, a total of 17 species of birds were recorded at the selected sites. The number of birds recorded within 200 m radius of mobile tower radiation was comparatively less than that found outside 200 m radius which reveals that these birds are affected more within this range as the number and effect of electromagnetic radiations emitted by mobile towers is inversely proportional to the distance from the tower as per ICNIRP (International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection). Moreover the birds commonly found within 200m radius were Common Myna, Rock Pigeon, Steppe Eagle, Jungle Crow and Eurasian Jackdaw. Based on the current available literature it can be stated that the invisible electromagnetic radiations emitted from cell phone towers affect the physiological and behavioral activities of birds. Hence future research is essential to explore more possible connection between electromagnetic radiations and their hazardous effects on avian fauna.
Sparrow population has decreased considerably in many parts of the globe in particular urbansuburban gradient. Being a cavity nest bird, use of artificial nest box may be an attempt to reduce the population loss of house sparrow. This work highlights the response of house sparrow Passer domesticus indicus to artificial nest boxes at different habitats (urban, suburban and rural) in West Bengal, India during the breeding season of the sparrow. At first one green box is erected beside a lake where various common bird species are present as a trial run to investigate the response of sparrows and then twenty four brick colour specially designed wooden boxes are erected at different habitats after searching suitable locations for the nest boxes. Eighteen out of twenty four boxes are found attempted by the sparrows. The egg size (354.78 mm 2) and chick weight (15.33gm) are found comparable with natural breeding. In spite of the disturbances of other birds, predation, starvation and other environmental causes, the average survival and death rate are found to be 1.0 and 0.67 per pair respectively. It is also interesting to note that all the boxes of high noise level zone remain inactive. Statistical analysis shows that the response is positive. Hence the nest box replacement may be considered as one of the solutions to enhance the population of sparrows particularly in urban and suburban areas.
A health survey was carried out in Murcia, Spain, in the vicinity of a Cellular Phone Base Station working in DCS‐1800 MHz. This survey contained health items related to “microwave sickness” or “RF syndrome.” The microwave power density was measured at the respondents' homes. Statistical analysis showed significant correlation between the declared severity of the symptoms and the measured power density. The separation of respondents into two different exposure groups also showed an increase of the declared severity in the group with the higher exposure.
Results from a continuing study of possible environmental effects associated with a prototype 1100-kV power line are described. Possible effects on wildlife, cattle, crops, pasture grasses, honeybees and trees are considered; results for the 1981 study period are reported.
Sedge wrens Cistothorus platensis and LeConte's sparrows Ammodramus leconteii had lower breeding-population densities in treatment areas than in control areas. LeConte's sparrows and Connecticut warblers Oporornis agilis occurred at greater mean distances from the transmission line in treatment areas than from a similarly positioned line in control areas. Data indicated negligible effects of this transmission line on bird populations, but interpretations are difficult. -from Authors
Territories of breeding forest birds in a rectangular, 21·4-ha forest plot adjacent to 800 m of a power-line corridor in East Tennessee were mapped in 1975, 1977, and 1979. Trends in density from the corridor edge to 268 m into the forest were examined for the bird community as a whole and for edge, deep forest, and unaffected species. Analysis of computer-generated, randomly distributed 'species' indicated that most trends observed in individual bird species were real. Apparently due to a tendency for some birds to establish territories in a row along the straight corridor edge, peaks in total density occurred at the edge and again in deeper forest. In each year, total density was higher at some distance into the forest than at or near the edge. The contribution of five edge species to bird density on the plot as a whole was negated by lower densities of nine deep forest species in areas near the edge. Considered as a group, thirteen forest species that individually appeared unaffected by the corridor showed a significant decrease in density with increasing distance from the corridor edge; this may have been caused by higher bird density in a small amount of mixed forest habitat near the corridor.
(1) An analytical steady-state heat transfer model of a bird subjected to continuous wave (CW) microwave radiation (2.45 GHz) was developed. (2) The model was created from physiological and biophysical energy-exchange data from the published literature and was calibrated with the body temperature responses of restrained birds exposed to microwave irradiances of 250 and 500 W m⁻². (3) The model predicts that tolerance to microwave radiation for a bird should be positively correlated with its mass and that ambient temperature is the environmental variable that has most influence on the level of tolerance for microwave radiation. (4) Other predictions are that tolerance to microwave radiation should be dependent on ambient relative humidity at high ambient temperatures, that 2.45 GHz CW radiation is absorbed by a small bird with an average solar absorptance at approximately twice the rate that solar radiation is absorbed, and that a small change in wind speed will have considerable effect on tolerance when wind speeds are low (-1).
Breeding bird territories were mapped for 2 years along 1.75 km of forest edges bounding two power-line corridors through forest. Mean bird density (averaged over corridors and years) at the edge was 153 pairs/40 ha for a defined edge width of 37 m and 266 pairs/40 ha for a defined edge width of 5 m. Bird density averaged 236 pairs/40 ha in the corridor interior and 149 pairs/40 ha in the forest interior. Corridor species were less dense at the forest edge than in the corridor interior (P<0.05), whereas densities of forest species at the edge and in the forest interior were similar (P>0.05). Numbers of corridor and forest species were lower at the edge than in the community interiors (P<0.05). No species appeared to be dependent on the presence of the forest edge.
High voltage powerlines form a spider-web pattern across North Dakota as they radiate outward from electric generating sources at Garrison Dam and nearby lignite-fired power plants. In 1976 there were approximately 1100 miles of high voltage powerline in the state, which required approximately 4500 large steel or aluminum towers for support (G. R. Anderson, personal communication). Moreover, officials of power cooperatives and privately-owned utilities anticipate the construction of over 900 additional miles of high voltage lines by 1981. As North Dakota coal resources are developed the powerline network will probably continue to grow.
Our interest in powerlines was stimulated several years ago when we learned that raptors were nesting on towers supporting high-voltage lines maintained by the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). To learn more about the use of towers by raptors we requested in 1973 that USBR personnel report all raptors and nests they observed on these structures during routine aerial inspections. In the spring of 1976 we were able to monitor closely a number of raptor nests built on powerline towers throughout North Dakota. Our objectives were to: (1) identify the raptor species using tower sites for nesting, (2) estimate the frequency of nest occurrence along selected powerlines, (3) report the success and productivity of these nests during the 1976 season, and (4) compare the productivity of nests constructed on towers to nests in non-tower sites.
Bird surveys before and after construction of a 150-ft wide transmission line in eastern deciduous forest showed (1) an increase in species composition and number of species, (2) a significant decrease in species diversity, (3) a decrease in the number of migrant and canopy-foraging species, and (4) an increase in species associated with grassland and edge (unstable) habitats.