For Immediate Release: April 11, 2006

Contact: Perry Plumart, 202 234-7181 x 202
Darin Schroeder, 202 234-7181 x 209

Federal Communications Commission to Decide the Fate of Millions of
Migratory Birds

(Washington, D.C.) - With the annual spring bird migration already underway, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) will meet tomorrow to decide whether to adopt simple measures that would effectively prevent the killing of millions of migratory birds at nearly six thousand communications towers in the Gulf Coast region.

In 2002, American Bird Conservancy, Forest Conservation Council, and Friends of the Earth filed a lawsuit against the FCC (the federal agency that licenses the building and operation of towers in the United States), charging that bird fatalities could be avoided if the FCC would mandate avoidance and mitigation measures for towers known to prevent bird kills. These measures, advocated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and backed by scientific research, include: collocating antennas on existing structures, building towers less than 200 feet tall to avoid having to light them for aircraft visibility, using red or white strobes on towers over 200 feet tall instead of solid state or slow pulsing lights, and using monopole construction rather than guy wires.

"The FCC has the ability, with a single stroke of the pen, to reverse the fortunes of millions of migratory birds that are at risk from tall towers along the Gulf Coast. Proven mitigation measures can prevent bird kills without impeding the provision of telecommunication services in any way - a win-win situation for birds and the public," said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy. "It is our hope that FCC will act responsibly to reduce this mass mortality."

FWS estimates that as many as 50 million birds are killed each year at towers throughout the United States. An American Bird Conservancy report analyzing documented tower kills (www.abcbirds.org/policy/towerkill.htm) lists 230 species - over one third of all avian species found in the United States - that are known to be killed at towers, including many species of conservation concern such as the Blackpoll Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

The vast majority of bird mortality occurs during fall and spring when night-migrating birds are attracted in large flocks to the aviation safety lights on towers. The lights, especially red solid-state or slow pulsing lights, interfere with the birds celestial navigation cues, particularly during poor visibility conditions such as rain and fog. Confused, the birds fly around the towers repeatedly, crashing into one another, the tower, its guy wires, or the ground. Others simply drop from exhaustion.

In 1999, the FWS Director wrote the FCC Chairman urging action in completing a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement on tower kills under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In 2000, FWS published Guidelines for the Siting and Construction of Communications Towers to minimize the mortality of migratory birds. The FCC has thus far ignored these guidelines, as they have ignored the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) recommendations on the use of white or red strobes on towers because of their higher visibility to pilots and their reduced impact on birds. Tomorrow's meeting is an opportunity for the FCC to reverse their course and act to protect America's migratory birds.

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American Bird Conservancy is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. It is the only U.S.-based, group dedicated solely to overcoming the greatest threats facing birds in the Western Hemisphere. ABC believes adequate resources exist to overcome these threats, and that unifying people, organizations, and agencies around common approaches to priority issues is the key to success.