Research Suggests 1B Birds Die in US From Hitting Buildings

Fewer of the injured survive than previously thought, study finds
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2024 6:05 PM CDT
Research Suggests 1B Birds Die in US From Hitting Buildings
Stock photo   (Getty/josephmok)

The mortality rate among birds that fly into windows could be much higher than thought, meaning the number killed in the US each year may top 1 billion, new research suggests. Previous assumptions were that most birds left stunned or injured after hitting a building recovered. But researchers looked into the results of rehabilitative care and found that about 60% of the birds died, the Guardian reports. The study was published on Wednesday by Plos One.

Brendon Samuels, a research coordinator for the Fatal Light Awareness Program, said the findings mean the number of fatalities may have been underestimated. "If the bird isn't immediately killed, it doesn't leave behind any evidence that a collision has taken place," said Samuels, who was not involved in the research. There are steps that can be taken to prevent the deaths, he said, such as adding murals to glass windows or markers instead of just a few stickers.

A study in Chicago found that turning off lights at night reduced bird strikes by six to 11 times. "We need more governments, especially local governments, to take up safe building design as a policy for new building construction," Samuels said. Ar Kornreich, the lead author of the study, said he hoped increasing awareness of the problem would lead to efforts to address it. (More birds stories.)

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