Abstract
Interruption of electricity supply due to nesting birds or climbing snakes can affect power distribution facilities and infrastructure, such as utility poles. The risk of power outages varies depending on weather conditions and the ecological characteristics of wild animals, such as their seasonality and active periods. In this study, we investigated relationships between power outages and both weather conditions and the ecological characteristics of wildlife. Using newspaper articles, we determined the locations, dates, and times of 161 power outages at Japanese power distribution facilities caused by bird nests (139 cases) and snakes (22 cases). Daily precipitation, average wind speed, and hours of sunlight were extracted from the historical weather data
for the day of, and three days prior to, each power outage. Power outages caused by nesting materials were most common in April̶the breeding season of crows̶and occurred mostly during the daytime. Power outages caused by snakes peaked in July̶the breeding season of snakes̶and tended to occur at night. The risk of power outages caused by nesting materials increased when daily precipitation was high and daylight hours were short. These results suggest that ecological characteristics and weather conditions influence the occurrence of wildlife-induced power outages.
