Bird deaths: TV and radio towers kill millions of birds per year

Bird deaths number in the millions in North America due to collisions with communications towers, a new report suggests.

The research finds that the problem of bird deaths is being made worse by the proliferation of large communications towers that send radio and television signals around the country.

The joint American-Canadian study, said that birds are often attracted to the lights glowing on the giant towers.

"In the presence of the solid red lights, the birds are unable to get out of their spell," said lead author, Travis Longcore of the University of Southern California, according to Phys Org.

"They circle the tower and run into the big cables holding it up."

Blinking red lights are much less risky to birds, the report suggests.

CBC reported that the continent's 84,000 communications towers kill nearly seven million birds that are traversing North America to warmer southern climates.

Songbirds, such as orioles and warblers, are the most common victims.

Tech Vibes reported that cloudy weather makes the situation even more dangerous, as birds are forced to fly low and risk running into towers.

"This tragedy, it doesn't have to be," said Longcore.

"With these towers, we are killing birds in an unnatural way. This is senseless."

The research was published in the journal PloS ONE.