Insulate power pylons to prevent electrocution

Overall effectiveness category Likely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

60%
Certainty

45%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Another method of preventing electrocution is to insulate parts of pylons that large birds are likely to touch at the same time.

Study locations

Key messages

A single before-and-after study in the USA found the insulating power pylons significantly reduced the number of Harris’s hawks Parabuteo unicinctus electrocuted.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A before-and-after study in 2003 in urban environments in Tucson, Arizona, USA (Dwyer & Mannan 2007), found that there were significantly fewer electrocutions following the insulation of potentially dangerous elements of power pylons (1.4 electrocutions/nest before insulation vs. 0.2 electrocutions/nest afterwards). Any differentially energised hardware components, closer than 60 cm apart, on half the power poles within 300 m of 58 Harris’s hawk Parabuteo unicinctus nests were insulated.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Dwyer J.F. & Mannan R. (2007) Preventing raptor electrocutions in an urban environment. Journal of Raptor Research, 41, 259-267.

Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bird Conservation

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