Using that treasure trove of data, conservation scientist Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez and colleagues estimated where in the United States the birds would be most abundant throughout the year — and face the highest risk of colliding with wind turbines. Citizen science data should inform decisions about where to build wind turbines, conservation scientist Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez (pictured) argues. The birds are “less likely to use stopover sites if a wind structure, or group of wind structures, are within about five kilometers,” says Pearse, who is based in Jamestown, N.D. As of early 2020, this equates to a net loss of 5 percent of the birds’ habitat.