Research Spotlight

Making IU-Bloomington a bird-friendly campus

by Sarah Wanamaker

We now know that North America is home to 3 billion fewer birds than it was 50 years ago.  Collisions with buildings are one of the primary causes of bird mortality, second only to domestic cats. Window strikes kill millions of birds every year in the U.S. and can occur during the day (because birds cannot see glass) and at night (because birds are attracted to the relative brightness of lighted buildings) and pose a disproportionate risk to migrating birds. Window strikes are particularly detrimental to avian populations because they are non-discriminatory and can kill otherwise healthy birds.

Biological diversity must be treated more seriously as a global resource, to be indexed…and above all, preserved.
E.O. Wilson, 1988

Like cityscapes, college campuses pose a greater risk for window strikes because they are home to clusters of tall buildings and many large windows. Furthermore, the interior lights of campus buildings are often left on continuously.

The combination of factors creates a particularly dangerous obstacle for birds and needs to be addressed.

For the last three years, I have been conducting a survey of fatal bird-building collisions on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. Many of the recorded fatalities were migratory species killed during their fall migration (Figure 1).

We will use data from this project to raise awareness on this conservation issue, and to advocate for the implementation of bird-friendly solutions on the highest-risk buildings. Retrofitting windows with visible patterns will allow birds to see glass, thereby creating a bird-safe campus.

Working with our partners, our mission is to prevent bird deaths and save energy by promoting bird-safe buildings and reducing nighttime lighting.

If you find a dead bird near a building at IUB, please:

Take 1–2 photos for species ID.
Record the date, time, and building.
Email strikes@indiana.edu.

If you are interested in joining the research team, email sarawana@iu.edu.

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Research Spotlight

Making IU-Bloomington a bird-friendly campus

by Sarah Wanamaker

If you find a dead bird near a building at IUB, please:

Midwest Center for Biodiversity Kent Farm Research Station resources