Problem
Why Mongolian power lines were deadly for birds
The expansion of Mongolia's electricity distribution network since the 2000s introduced a silent danger for birds. Standard line pole design caused a bird's death — and thousands of raptors were electrocuted in the steppe.
Raptors were electrocuted every year in Mongolia before a mitigation project was done in 2022 — including over 4,000 Saker Falcons, a globally endangered species.
The steppe zone factor
Mongolia's steppe zone has abundant rodent prey — Brandt's Vole, Mongolian Gerbil, and Daurian Pika. This attracts large numbers of raptors to hunt near power lines. When rodent populations peak, electrocution rates increase. Every distribution line in the steppe zone was potentially lethal.
Pole design creates a lethal gap
Standard 10–15 kV distribution poles use steel-reinforced concrete poles with galvanized steel crossarms and upright pin insulators. A bird perched on the pole simultaneously contacts two energized conductors — or one conductor and a grounded surface — and is electrocuted.
Every pole was a risk
With the standard configuration, every single pole along a distribution line posed a high electrocution risk. There are tens of thousands of such poles across Mongolia's steppe zone.
International impact
The problem extends beyond Mongolia's borders. High mortality of Mongolian Saker Falcons has also been recorded in their main wintering areas in Qinghai, China — research funded by Abu Dhabi identified electrocution as a key driver of population decline.
