Bird building collisions are a leading cause of bird mortality across the globe, second to habitat loss (Klem et al. 2009). Approximately one billion birds collide with windows annually in the United States (Loss et al. 2014). Most birds see and use ultraviolet light for foraging and orientation (Bennett et al. 1994; Jacobs, 1992), which can lead to more collisions in highly reflective windows, especially windows that reflect green space (Ocampo-Peñuela et al. 2016). To address this conservation issue students in the Williams Avian Ecology Lab began a bird building collisions monitoring program on Ohio University’s Athens Campus during fall of 2023. Our aims included 1) identify buildings on the OU Athens campus that are associated with bird mortality from window strikes, 2) raise awareness of this conservation problem, and 3) help individuals to identify actions they can take in their community and their own backyard to prevent window collisions.
We surveyed 17 buildings on the Ohio University Athens Campus during Fall semester of 2023 and Spring and Fall semester of 2024. We looked for dead birds around the base of each building and identified building faces where dead birds were found. We also took reports of bird mortality from community science volunteers that found birds incidentally around buildings on campus.
So far, we have found 46 dead birds at 14 of the 17 buildings we monitored. Mortalities have been of birds from 13 families and have included species listed by the ODNR Division of Wildlife as species of concern including Mourning Warbler (Geothypis philadelphia), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), and Brown Creeper (Certhidae americana). Ping Recreational center has two walls largely composed of glass and had the most fatalities (n = 10); however, we began monitoring Heritage Hall during fall 2024 and found 9 fatalities. Our lab will begin monitoring the route again after Spring Break 2025 so we can continue to collect data and raise awareness of this preventable conservation issue.
You can learn more about our Bird-building Collision Monitoring Program on the OU Athens Campus.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
There are many tools to prevent bird building collisions and associated mortality. Reducing outdoor lighting can help prevent window strikes. Many birds migrate at night and light in our cities and towns can disorient birds, drawing birds into our urban areas, making birds susceptible to dangers like collisions with cars and buildings, outdoor cats, and lower quality food and shelter. Treat the windows in your home to prevent collisions and advocate for bird-friendly buildings and communities. Learn more about Bird Building Collisions and how to prevent them at the American Bird Conservancy and the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative’s Ohio Lights Out Program.
