Electrocuted birds sparked wildfires that torched acres of land in US: Report

Wildfires are becoming an increasingly common and devastating occurrence across the United States. While many factors contribute to these catastrophic events, one surprising culprit may be birds.

Electrocuted birds can fall from power lines, and ignite brushes or other​​ combustible materials to catch fire.

The Denver Post reported that this unexpected phenomenon had sparked “at least three wildfires in Colorado” in the previous two months. And it turns out that this cause is “more common” than thought.

Recent incidents

An earlier study titled “wildland fires ignited by avian electrocutions” looked deeply into this concerning matter.

“A poorly studied mechanism of wildland fire ignitions occurs when a bird perched on an overhead power line is electrocuted, its plumage ignites, and the burning bird falls into and ignites dry vegetation,” the study authors wrote.

The study reported that roughly 44 wildfires in the contiguous United States were ignited by electrocuted birds between 2014 and 2018. However, this number could be more as the source might have gone unnoticed.

“Sometimes they burst into flames. Sometimes they just fall dead. Not every bird that is electrocuted will fall to the ground and start a fire,” Taylor A. Barnes, the author of this 2022 study told Colarado-based 9News .

As per the Denver Post , at least three wildfires in Colorado’s Front Range were induced by birds in July and August of 2024.

It reported that an electrocuted bird sparked a brush fire in Arapahoe County on July 13. This fire destroyed a property and burnt over 1,100 acres. Another bird-caused fire occurred in Jefferson County near Morrison on July 31.

In August, firefighters from West Metro and South Metro Fire Rescue responded to a brush fire near a Denver Water treatment plant and Roxborough Park in Douglas County. Officials revealed that a 35-acre brush fire was caused by a bird.

Fortunately, none of these brush fires resulted in injuries to humans, and they were all put out.

Birds touching various parts

Birds can perch on one power line without any danger. However, the risk of electrocution increases when birds make contact with jumper wires or other parts of the power infrastructure. When a bird touches a second wire, it creates a path for electricity to flow directly through its body.

Reportedly, Barnes suggested one other potential reason could be that the birds might have been trying to eat insects inside an arrester cap. This could have led the bird to make contact with energized components and catch fire.

According to the 2022 study, the Mediterranean ecoregion of the California coast has the highest concentration of wildfires ignited by birds.

“It would be prudent for electric utilities in the Mediterranean California ecoregion in the U.S., and in fire-prone landscapes globally, to develop fire mitigation plans that include modifying power poles to reduce risk of avian electrocutions and resulting wildfires,” Barnes and other authors advised in the research paper published in the journal Wildlife Society Bulletin .

These bird-caused fires could have devastating consequences, destroying homes, and property, and even endangering lives.

While any bird species can be at risk, woodpeckers and crows are particularly vulnerable due to their tendency to peck at objects. Reportedly , larger birds, such as hawks and eagles, may also be at a higher risk of electrocution.