The FAA said that thousands of birds might be saved each year because of recent changes the agency has made to its standards for communication tower lighting. Previous standards for the lighting (that makes the towers more visible to pilots) allowed white and red steady-burning lights. Red lights attract migratory birds, wildlife biology researchers have found.
This research concluded that the birds are drawn toward steady red lights and become confused and exhausted; or they fly into the towers or their supporting guy wires, killing thousands every year. As a result of the research, the FAA changed the lighting standards for the towers by developing configurations with flashing lights instead of steady-burning lights, or completely omitting the steady-burning lights, in some cases.
The FAA conducted flight tests in northern Michigan to compare the traditional steady-burning lighting with a variety of different types of flashing lights before rolling out the new standards. The results showed that the flashing lights provided acceptable warnings for pilots and were likely to significantly decrease bird fatalities.