At a Loss for Birds

FCC to Investigate Why Millions of Birds Fly into Cell-Phone Towers The Federal Communications Commission is launching an investigation into the reasons why high numbers of birds are killed by flying into cell-phone and broadcast towers in the U.S. Each year, an estimated 5 million to 50 million birds die this way, says the U.S. […]

FCC to Investigate Why Millions of Birds Fly into Cell-Phone Towers

The Federal Communications Commission is launching an investigation into the reasons why high numbers of birds are killed by flying into cell-phone and broadcast towers in the U.S. Each year, an estimated 5 million to 50 million birds die this way, says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Researchers suspect that lights on communications towers somehow attract the birds. The inquiry is part of an FCC plan announced in May to study how the rapid spread of cell-phone and other towers affects the environment, historic sites, and Native American lands, and how those towers might be better designed.

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