er iwteney ce De WS OvNoe Ue oer iN 13 
A Second Kill of Birds at a 
Television Tower in Central Illinois 
By Paul W. Parmalee and Milton D. Thompson 
Five years have passed since the first occurrence of bird mortality at the 
WICS Television transmitting tower, located 10 miles east of Springfield, 
Sangamon County, Illinois, was reported (Parmalee and Parmalee, 1959.) 
On the night of Sept. 16-17, 1958, migrating birds struck the 999 foot tower 
and guy cables; during the following four days 827 specimens, representing 
40 species, were recovered in th surrounding field by the authors (op. cit.) 
and Mr. William Oldani of Springfield. In the intervening years between 
September, 1958, and September, 1963, local weather conditions in central 
Illinois were such (high ceiling and cloud cover, clear visibility) during 
migration that the birds either flew above or were able to see and avoid the 
tower. 
On the morning of Sept. 13, 1963, the television engineer on duty at 
the WICS transmitting tower called the senior author and reported numerous 
cead birds lying about the ground surrounding the station building. That 
morning the author picked up 174 birds; the following morning, Saturday, 
Sept. 14, an additional 45 specimens were recovered and it was felt that 
the majority of birds killed by striking the tower the night of Sept. 12-13 
had been found. These 219 birds, representing 31 species, were identified 
in the zoology laboratory at the Illinois State Museum; the species identified 
and the number of each is listed in Table I. 
TABLE I. — The species of birds killed at the 
WiCS-TV Tower on the night of Sept. 12-13, 1963. 
Sora,« Rorzana carolina. «.:..... 3s ee sao. 1 Black-throated Green Warbler, 
Mourning Dove, Zenaidura macroura ... | Dendroica virens .............20005 7 
Yellow-biellied Flycatcher, Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca .. 2 
Empidonax flaviventris ............. 2  Chestnut-sided Warbler, 
Acadian Flycatcher, Empidonax virescens Dendroica pensylvanica ............. 7 
and/or Traill’s Flycatcher, E. traillii .. 3 Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapillus ........ 53 
Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis ........ 2 Northern Waterthrush, 
Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina 1 Seiurus noveboracensis ............. 20 
Swainson’s Thrush, Hylocichla ustulata .. 7 Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas ........ 5 
Gray-cheeked Thrush, Hylocichla minima . 9 Wilson’s Warbler, Wilsonia pusilla ..... 1 
Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo flavifrons .. 1 Canada Warbler, Wisonia canadensis ... 1 
Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus ........ 21 American Redstart, Setophaga ruticilla .. 6 
Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus .. 1 Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorous ..... 15 
Black-and-white Warbler, Mniotilta varia . 9 Scarlet Tanager, Piranga olivacea ...... 1 
Golden-winged Warbler, 
e Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 
Vermivora chrysoptera .............. 1 
perpen teeter lem Vermivora: paregrinal. 136 Pheucticus ludovicianus ............. 1 
Nashville Warbler, Vermivora ruficapilla. 1 Dickcissel, Spiza americana ............ | 
Yellow Warber, Dendroica petechia .... 2 Grasshopper Sparrow, 
Magnolia Warbler, Dendroica magnolia .. 3 Ammodramus savannarum .......... 1 
A high of 79° F. was reached at 10:30 arm. on Thursday, Sept. 12, 1963, 
and a gradual cooling took place during the afternoon. Showers began 
about 7:00 p.m. and rain fell intermittently until 11:30 p.m.; visibility varied 
from 10 miles in late afternoon to a low of about 3 miles during the period 
of rain. 
