Solar fields are growing in popularity partly because they produce power with fewer greenhouse gasses, but they are not without environmental consequences. For example, solar fields potentially cause direct mortality for local birds and can change the way birds use their environments because of removal of native vegetation. The objective of our study was to determine if local birds expressed different behaviors on solar fields when compared to natural sites nearby. We focused on two species, Amphispiza bilineata, the black-throated sparrow and Zenaida macroura, the mourning dove. Our study sites were located in three southern Arizona cities, Wilcox, Fort Huachuca, and Tucson. There was a total of six sites: 3 solar and 3 natural. On each site, we walked transects for 2 hours and when we observed an individual of our target species, we spent a maximum of 2 minutes watching the individual and recording its behavior every 15 seconds. We created a behavior chart for all 193 individuals we observed across all sites.
Results/Conclusions
Black-throated sparrows observed in the solar fields spent 45% of their time foraging, but on natural sites spent only 10% of their time foraging. Perching behavior also varied for black-throated sparrows, with more time spent perching at natural sites (48%) versus solar field sites (15%). Mourning dove behavior was similar in both the solar field and natural sites; they spent at least 69% of their time perching. It is unclear why black-throated sparrows behaved differently in solar fields, but it is possible that solar fields provide increased foraging opportunities and less competition than the natural areas. Our results did not suggest that the solar fields presented any negative effects on the behavior of our subject species. Future studies should address solar field impacts on a wider range of bird species that are not as common and adapted to variable environments.