Trends in Bird-Window Collisions at Greenfield Community College

Presenter

Tove Aliisabet Cerina Schweitzer

Campus

Greenfield Community College

Sponsor

Amanda LM Hyde, Department of Biology, Greenfield Community College

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A15, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 1 (A1-A20) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Bird-window collisions are the cause of up to 1 billion bird deaths each year in the United States. Birds flying near buildings don’t see the glass barrier on the windows and instead see the reflection of the natural habitat. Or they are attracted to the lights and greenery inside. This can lead to the birds flying directly into the windows and often resulting in fatal injuries. Greenfield Community College (GCC) has extensive windows on their property that are the cause of many bird deaths each year. In this study I assessed one year's worth of data on the window-related bird collisions at GCC to determine which windows were struck the most and during which seasons collisions were more frequent. To compile this data, I collected the bodies of birds found dead or injured and testimony from GCC visitors who heard or saw window collisions occur. I then categorized this data by window of occurrence on the campus. I also used the data to determine the seasons and months in which the collisions occurred most often. I found that the most window collisions occurred in the South Courtyard of the main building and that collisions were most frequent in the summer months. This research can be used to introduce mitigation techniques to reduce the number of bird-window collisions at GCC. Mitigation techniques include adding stickers to windows or removing greenery near the windows. Mitigation is an important process and knowing where to focus our efforts will help tremendously in the future.

Keywords

Wildlife Protection, Ornithology, Human Impact on Ecosystems

Research Area

Environment Effects on Ecosystems

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