Donald Trump Claims Windmills Kill Bald Eagles — Here’s the Truth

If you've ever seen the tall structures with long blades that dot the landscapes, you may wonder what they are. These devices are called wind turbines and are used as a more updated version of a windmill. They spin when the wind blows, generating kinetic energy, which is then converted into electricity.

This electricity can be used as an alternative to other forms of electricity, like nuclear or coal. Some of the benefits of this wind energy are that it's relatively clean to produce.

That has prompted a lot of support for the devices. However, there are still those who are against windmills, and they have a lot to say about the downsides of them, including their unsightly appearance and claims that they wreak havoc on wildlife.

The president has even claimed that windmills kills bald eagles. Do windmills really kill birds? Keep reading to learn the truth about the energy alternative, including why one company was forced to pay a fine for its windmills.

According to the American Bird Conservancy, wind turbines are responsible for killing between 700 and 1 million birds each year in the U.S., a figure that does include some bald eagles.

The group has created a Wind Risk Assessment Map, which provides a clear picture of where wind turbines should be avoided due to migration patterns or the potential heightened risk to local birds. That being said, the American Bird Conservatory notes that there is a strong need for this type of energy.

Instead of eliminating the turbines due to the potential risks to birds like bald eagles, the advocacy group says that it thinks that the windmills should be built with "Bird-Smart Wind Principles," which the group says can be accomplished through legislation, regulations, and "bring birds into the conversation" before development ever gets underway.

This will not only help protect birds, but it will also help other wildlife to remain safe around these types of structures.

On Dec. 30, 2025, Donald Trump shared a photo of a dead bird next to a windmill on Truth Social, which he captioned with the words, "Windmills are killing all of our beautiful bald eagles."

The photo received nearly 19,000 likes in less than 24 hours, and it was shared almost 7,000 times on the social media platform. However, experts were quick to call the president out for his post, since the photo wasn't taken in the U.S. Further, the bird in the snap wasn't even a bald eagle.

Instead, The Guardian points out that it was a picture of a dead hawk next to a windmill located in Israel. The picture was from a 2017 report about bird deaths at Israeli wind farms.

But that's not to say that eagles aren't being killed by these structures. In 2022, NextEra Energy was fined more than $8 million after being found guilty of killing 150 eagles over a decade. The charges included allegations that the company had violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, according to NPR.

A fact that seems to reinforce what the American Bird Conservancy says about working with wind turbine companies to ensure that the structures can be built with minimal harm to the wildlife in the region.