The Impact of Electromagnetic Radiation on Birds: Fact or Myth?

In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that bird diversity in India is reducing at an alarming rate. Sparrows that would once sing to the rising sun have now become a rare sight. Media outlets and news sources have pointed to our electronic devices as a major cause for this loss in diversity, particularly the cell phone and other network broadcasting towers. Though it’s easy to point fingers and shift the blame, in this day and age we are admittedly heavily reliant on the very devices and systems that we assert are the source of this problem. So, while we can’t regress to a technologically inferior era and hope for an avian revival, what we can do is better understand exactly what electromagnetic radiation is and how it may be affecting the world around us. 

Electromagnetic radiation consists of waves of the electromagnetic field that are present all around us, although invisible to the human eye. They’re used to transmit radio waves and TV or other wireless signals. They have both human and natural sources, although anthropogenic EMR waves are much stronger contributors to the electromagnetic field and its subsequent effects. Cell phones and cellular mobile base stations are the major components of this. These high rising cell phone towers dotted around the city transmit strong frequencies close to their base which decreases in strength the further the transmission is from the tower.

Several countries such as the UK, Spain, and even India have recorded a decrease in bird diversity, particularly in the sparrow population, alongside a rapid increase in the construction of these towers. This has especially been the case closer to the base of the towers. A study conducted in Belgium during the bird breeding season evinced this through data showing that fewer male sparrows were seen at locations with relatively high electric field strength values. A study conducted in Bijapur yielded similar results. 

While a direct cause-effect relationship between the two has yet to be established, several hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. One such hypothesis attributes the decreasing bird density and population to reduced reproductive success as a result of the radiation-induced reduction in hatching success. Current scientific evidence also indicates that prolonged exposure to radiation affects the immune system of birds, thereby possibly increasing the chance for abnormal development of bird embryos. However, the impact of EMR on avian life still remains highly speculative and reliant on hypothesis rather than concrete evidence.

While the relationship between electromagnetic radiation and avifauna isn’t entirely clear yet, conspiracies have arisen on the internet, claiming that 5G and other technologically advanced cellular services are causing a mass decimation of birds. This remains a highly contentious topic, with specialists claiming that these assertions are false. While researchers have found that radio waves could potentially interfere with birds' ability to orient themselves using the Earth's magnetic field during migration, there is no clear link between these waves and the decreasing bird population. 

In the end, increased exposure to electromagnetic radiation is simply a supporting factor in the larger web of human activity leading to a loss in bird diversity. With urbanization, climate change, environmental pollutants, and the loss of habitat, no factor can be singled out as the sole contributor to the loss of avian biodiversity. The need of the moment is instead a faithful study of the factors influencing the drop in bird population density and concrete evidence that busts conspiracies and lights the path ahead to ensure that these key winged agents of the environment are able to thrive in this world alongside mankind. 

Authored by Pooja V, Intern @PfA Bangalore