New projects started on window bird collisions and conservation outcomes
Guiding more effective greening and biodiversity-friendly infrastructure in Canadian cities
project goals
Collisions with buildings and windows is a major source of anthropogenic mortality for North American migratory birds, one that is faced by an estimated 70% of migratory birds in eastern North America as they travel through at least one major metropolis during each migration event. With median estimates of around 1 billion window collision mortalities annually this anthropogenic mortality source represents 1/5th of the estimated breeding population of North American landbirds. Year-round collision studies have found that collisions occur most frequently during the fall and spring migration period, and less frequently in the winter, yet recent work western coastal regions suggest winter and spring collision may represent intermediary risks. Certain life history traits are found to correlate with higher collision risk, such as nocturnal migration, insectoivory, and the use of forested habitats . To fill the critical knowledge gaps of collision threats to birds we need to take a two-pronged approach of on-the-ground data collection and scientific communication with partners (NGOs, local government and communities) and larger-scale spatial analyses.
new projects to begin in fall 2023
New projects in collaboration with Safe Wings Ottawa and Dr. Rachel Buxton at Carleton University will begin in fall of 2023. Thanks to funding by ECCC and the Kenneth M. Molson Foundation, graduate student in the Buxton lab of Carleton University (co-supervised by Dr. Barbara Frei) will think of new and innovative ways to quantify conservation outcomes of mitigation measures for bird collisions in the city of Ottawa.