Impacts from non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation emitted by communication towers could be significant for birds, notes the U.S. Department of the Interior comment letter (a response to this Federal Register Notice).
The attachment to the letter cites international studies of tower radiation on migratory nesting birds, saying:
“results have documented nest and site abandonment, plumage deterioration, locomotion problems, reduced survivorship, and death.
“…the electromagnetic radiation standards used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continue to be based on thermal heating, a criterion now nearly 30 years out of date and inapplicable today.”
The letter concludes by recommending that field studies be conducted in the U.S. “to validate impacts of communication tower radiation – both direct and indirect – to migratory birds and other trust wildlife species.”
So, a U.S. federal agency states that cell tower radiation could be an existential threat to nearby nesting birds.
This EMF Safety Network post discusses the 2014 developments and links to a 2007 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presentation to Congress on radiation impacts to wildlife.