2017

This study deals exclusively with collisions of birds with overhead power lines in the high and extra-high voltage range. These grid (voltage) levels are defined as follows, according to BUNDESNETZAGENTUR & BUNDESKARTELLAMT (2016):
- High voltage (HV): > 72.5 KV and ≤ 125 kV
- Extra-high voltage (EHV): > 125 kV

As mentioned at the beginning, overhead power lines of any voltage level can lead to fatal collisions of birds (e.g. APLIC 2012, BARRIENTOS et al. 2012, DEMERDZHIEV 2014, GERDZHIKOV 2009), but the overall data situation in the area below HV (i.e. medium and low voltage) is to be classified as more heterogeneous than is already the case for HV and LHV (see Section 2.2). This applies in particular to the availability of precise spatial data on existing overhead power lines, which form an integral part of this collision victim assessment - as explained below. Therefore, this study was limited to HV and EHV.

Furthermore, birds - and other animal species - can collide with a variety of other infrastructures (buildings, wind turbines, transmission towers, etc.) or vehicles (cars, trains, aeroplanes, etc.) (e.g. DREWITT & LANGSTON 2008, ERICKSON et al. 2001 and 2005, MANVILLE
2005), but these collisions are not the subject of this study. Therefore, "collision" in the following always refers to a bird collision on a HV or EHV overhead lines.