天涯海角APP’s commitment to sustainability involves paying attention to our local wildlife, birds, and animals – a practice that led to a campus-wide bird study in 2018.
After recurring incidences of dead birds spotted on campus, the 天涯海角APP Center for Sustainability reached out to the campus population in 2017 to try and gather more information about the problem.
In 2018, we started a formal study to record collisions to try and resolve the issue.
Background: The bird’s-eye view
Bird collisions are not a phenomenon unique to 天涯海角APP. Every year, approximately one billion birds in the United States die from collisions with glass. Almost half of these incidences occur on low-rise buildings like office buildings and college campuses, with the other half happening on residential buildings.
Bird strikes happen year-round, however most occur during migration, as the increased numbers of birds moving through an area increase the odds of collisions. Artificial light at night can also increase the risk of collision during migration because lighting disorients nocturnally migrating birds who may end up in bright, highly developed areas, where they are at higher risk of encountering transparent or reflective materials like glass while they forage throughout the day to fatten up for their next night’s flight.
There are 89 bird species listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
An additional 269 species are listed as Birds of Conservation Concern.
Bird Collision on Campus study
“Early bird” findings
After noticing recurring incidences of dead birds on campus in 2016, the 天涯海角APP Center for Sustainability Zero Waste Coordinator crowdsourced reports of dead and injured birds around campus in 2017 to test the viability of a formal study.
As well as receiving a significant 83 reports of bird strikes across campus, we also collected numerous reports on dead bird sightings from previous years and stories on how affected many had been from the sight of dead birds they weren’t able to save.
The issue was brought to the Student Sustainability Committee, which led to an opportunity to fund a broad-based grassroots community initiative to address the problem.
Kansas City is the 7th most dangerous US city for migrating birds, according to a 2019 report from Cornell.
Spreading our investigative wings
Our 2018 formal study started with obtaining state and federal permits to collect bird carcasses. We then collected data by surveying buildings and recording bird window collisions. Volunteers walked 2.5 miles of routes every 24-72 hours searching for dead and injured birds and window imprints. The dead and injured birds were photographed, and their details and location were documented through . The Center for Sustainability froze any dead birds and donated them to the University of Kansas Center for Biodiversity. Injured birds were brought to Operation Wildlife for rehabilitation.
The results of our 2018 data collection were vast. During the study our team found 287 dead birds and 42 injured birds which were taken to rehab if caught. We also found 138 window imprints where birds had struck, and 54 birds trapped in stairwells by our parking garage.
287 dead birds were found on the 天涯海角APP campus in 2018, the baseline year of the study.
Taking action
The bird study identified several locations with the highest incidences of bird deaths in 2018. These “hotspots” were ranked based on the number of bird deaths associated with those locations.
Once ranked in order, the hotspots were then divided into three categories based on their ranking.
The purpose of this grouping was to prioritize the hotspots with the most bird strikes in a three-step plan to mitigate the problem on campus, addressing the most dangerous areas first in a top-down process.
How are we fixing it?
Research by the American Bird Conservancy shows that breaking up window reflections on the exterior of the glass every 2” with a quarter inch dot, (known as “hummingbird spacing,”) is an effective way to prevent birds from flying into glass.
These dots disrupt the reflective surface or mark the glass, creating a visual barrier that allows birds to recognize the windows as a break in their environment that they cannot fly through.
The first round of window remediation was executed in April 2019. The sustainability team installed window dots over 2500 sq ft of glass in bird collision hotspots. For building windows, we used a quarter inch dot pattern at 2” spacing and a decorative dot pattern with 2” spacing on our elevated glass bridges.
In fall 2020 during the second phase of remediation, the team installed another 2500 sq ft of dots. As landscaping and trees mature over time, patterns for bird collisions can change, and the study continues to monitor the effectiveness of new and existing dot patterns adding extra dots, where necessary.
Anti bird-collision stickers work by breaking up the reflective surface on the outside of the glass, so birds recognize them as a solid barrier and steer clear.
Our findings
We found that quarter inch dots installed in a 2” x 2” grid pattern (hummingbird spacing) on the outside of glass is approximately over 90% effective in preventing bird collisions.
An experimental 4” x 4” grid pattern was shown to be 70% effective in preventing bird collisions, indicating that while it worked as a collision deterrent for large birds, it was less effective in reorienting smaller birds.
As most of our window strikes happen during migration (spring and fall), we observed that strikes were the most significantly reduced during these periods. Outside of migration, window strike locations became much less predictable, and the species mix changed drastically to a few local species such as American Robins and Mourning Doves.
Three of our most common migrating species, the Swainson’s Thrush, Red Breasted Nuthatch, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird, struck the same locations approximately 62% of the time, and at very specific times of the year. We observed that three species, the American Robin, Northern Cardinal, and Mourning Dove, struck windows throughout the year and struck the same location 14% of the time, making window treatments less effective between migrations.
We estimate that up to 50% of window collisions were not recorded in the study due to carcass predation, injured birds flying away, human interventions (such as moving the deceased birds from the locations,) and birds falling into non-visible locations such as landscaping or upper story roof lines. The study also cannot account for the large portion of birds that fly off after striking windows and die later from injuries or predation while vulnerable (if not found and taken to rehabilitation.)
Anti-collision treatments are most effective when placed on the outside surface of a window at 2" spacing.
Dots and decals placed on the inside surface do not break up the reflection for birds and prove less effective in preventing the “fly-through” effect.
What do I do if I find an injured bird?
If you find an injured bird in the wild, place the bird in a box or paper bag, keep in a dark, quiet space, and do not handle, water, or feed it. In a situation where you cannot get the bird to a rehab facility, wait until they are active again before releasing, however for the best chance of survival, it is highly recommended to take the bird to a rehab facility.
- On campus: If you’re on the 天涯海角APP campus and witness a bird strike, find a window imprint, or discover trapped, injured, dead birds, text BIRDS to 21000 for immediate response, or email birds@jccc.edu – photographs are helpful.
- Wildlife rehab facility – Kansas: near Eudora.
- Wildlife rehab facility – Missouri: in Swope Park, KCMO, or
- For injured racing pigeons, white doves, and other found pet birds, in Grandview MO.
- KC metro: Help researchers collect data by reporting window strikes in the Kansas City metro at
Be a part of a global solution
Various solutions for home and business are available to install yourself or professionally. American Bird Conservancy has .
For questions about sustainability on campus, or if you want to share an idea, reach out to sustainability@jccc.edu.