Turning tracks into risk: probabilistic estimation of bird collisions at wind turbines
Institute Seminar by Moritz Mercker
- Date: Jun 23, 2026
- Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Moritz Mercker
- Moritz Mercker is a trained biologist and mathematician with a PhD in applied mathematics. Early in his career, he worked as an ornithologist on different offshore and island field stations, including the North Sea island of Trischen, where long-term bird monitoring and close exposure to protected ecosystems shaped his strong ecological perspective. He currently works at the interface of ecology, statistics, and applied mathematics. Alongside his involvement in academic research on biomathematical methods, he runs a biostatistical consultancy supporting ecological assessments and environmental decision-making. His work is driven by the conviction that biodiversity conservation and the expansion of renewable energy can and must be reconciled through rigorous, data-driven approaches.
- Location: MPI-AB Möggingen
- Room: Seminar room MPI-AB Möggingen + Online
- Host: Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
- Contact: fiedler@ab.mpg.de
Expanding wind energy requires reliable ways to assess collision risks for birds, especially for protected species. We present a probabilistic framework that translates animal movement data into spatially explicit estimates of collision risk at wind turbines. Using GPS tracking of different breeding birds (such as the red kite), the approach combines information on space use, flight height, and avoidance behaviour to identify where and when collision risk is most likely to occur. Model predictions are evaluated against independent field data on observed fatalities and show good agreement. The framework is designed to support evidence-based planning by highlighting comparatively low-risk areas for wind energy development.
The MPI-AB Seminar Series is open to members of MPI and Uni Konstanz. The zoom link is published each week in the MPI-AB newsletter.