Billions of birds are likely killed in the U.S. each year — but contrary to popular claims, wind turbines aren’t nearly a primary culprit.

Former President Trump has continually used his prominent platform to claim that wind turbines — an economically sensible part of energy generation in the U.S. — are “killing our birds.”

“The wind, it kills our birds. If you want to see a bird cemetery, go under a windmill sometime,” Trump most recently said on national TV, a clip that spread to the web. His running mate, JD Vance, snickered along during these repeated claims.

But in a sea of distorted facts, unvetted claims, viral falsehoods, and fake videos swirling through our internet existence, disseminating misinformation isn’t too funny. Yes, as detailed below, wind farms do inevitably kill some birds — all energy production carries costs. But wind turbines, which are cleverly designed from airplane wings, are not what’s decimating bird populations in the U.S.