Visiting Scholar Seminar Series: Scott Loss, OK State University

Collisions with building windows are a top bird mortality source threatening avian populations worldwide. Reducing bird-window collisions has been identified as an important action to stem the decline of the North American avifauna. Over the past decade, we have conducted bird-window collision surveys in Oklahoma and Minnesota, as well as national quantitative analyses synthesizing existing data, to assess spatiotemporal variation and correlates of collisions and to inform approaches to reduce collisions. This research has found that: (1) bird-window collisions vary predictably in time, both seasonally and throughout the day and night, and also in association with bird migration phenology and weather; (2) collisions vary spatially in association with factors (e.g., amount of glass, nighttime lighting, and vegetation) operating at multiple scales, from individual building façades, to entire buildings, to landscapes around buildings; and (3) collision risk varies among species and in association with life history. We have used these findings to recommend collision mitigation practices, and we have also conducted studies directly assessing approaches to reduce collisions, including using weather radar to predict collisions, installing markers on windows to reduce transparency and reflection effects, and evaluating stakeholder perceptions about bird-window collisions and approaches to manage them. I will discuss past findings, highlight ongoing research and research needs, and describe potential approaches to further mainstream bird-friendly building practices, such as supporting citizen science activities and increasing funding to conduct research and implement approaches that reduce collisions.