Abstract
We investigated indirect effects of wind turbines on nesting success of scissor-tailed flycatchers (Tyrannus forficatus). We tracked the fate of 32 nests at Wolf Ridge Wind, LLC, Cooke County, Texas, during the breeding season in 2009. Overall rates of predation on nests were high, reproductive success was low, daily rates of survival were only 93.5%, only 16% of nests fledged ≥1 offspring, and nests had only a 13.3% chance of survival from initiation to fledging. Amount of canopy cover and distance to nearest turbine best predicted success or failure of nests; nests with less canopy cover that were closer to a wind turbine had a higher daily rate of survival than nests with more canopy cover farther away. Less canopy cover might be associated with fewer terrestrial or arboreal predators on nests, while proximity to turbines might reduce aerial predation on nests.