Have you ever walked into a sliding glass door? As embarrassing as it might have felt, you probably weren’t significantly injured. Unfortunately for your favorite feathered friends, glass is much more difficult to perceive, causing birds to collide with buildings. These window strikes are a very significant and ongoing issue pertaining to bird conservation efforts.
It has been estimated that 365– 988 million birds die due to window strikes per year in the U.S. alone (Klem, 606-620). To put things into perspective, that means that an average of 1–2.7 million birds die per day due to a window collision. Luckily, there is hope. Anyone has the power to make a valuable contribution and effort to prevent bird deaths every day. One way to do so would be to share your opinion regarding window strikes as well as the potential solutions created for them.
I am a third-year undergraduate student studying animal behavior at IU, and I have developed a survey to gather information about public knowledge and opinion on bird-building collisions. Gaining insight into what people believe to be the best solution can ultimately be the driving force behind implementation of such solutions. For example, renters may prefer impermanent window films while homeowners may opt to install more permanent solutions, such as specialized UV windows that are more visible to birds. By understanding the extent of citizen knowledge and what they wish to prioritize most (cost, aesthetics, effort, etc.), conservationists and building managers may be able to agree on a mutually beneficial solution. The link below will guide you to a survey I have created with the goal of understanding local opinions about window strikes in mind. Each response is extremely valuable.
If you are not a bird enthusiast by nature, you may wonder “why should I care?” However, if you worry about increased pesticide use or the looming effects from pollinator decline (both major threats to human health), then you should also be worried about the decline in global bird populations. Many birds are insectivorous and act as a form pest control for gardens or agricultural fields. Birds can also act as pollinators, and have a direct effect on plant species abundance and diversity. If these reasons aren’t enough for you to be concerned about bird population decreases, just try to think about the birds you hear and see around town and the possibility that their beautiful song, something that is now rather common, may become rare in the near future.
