Bird Injuries From Collisions With Windows: What We Know, and What You Can Do (Webinar)

Over half a billion birds are killed every year in North America after colliding with windows. Birds can’t see glass—nor do they come to understand that it is an invisible barrier or reflective illusion—which means they don’t put on the brakes and usually hit windows at full force. In the last decade, many scientists have contributed pieces to the puzzle of how birds really see the world. This has established a basis for developing new solutions for existing glass, as well as materials and design strategies for creating new, bird-friendly buildings. Dr. Christine Sheppard discusses the tools we have to solve the birds and windows problem, and how we can get solutions implemented. This is one conservation issue where individuals can take immediate action and see immediate results.

Sheppard is the Bird Collisions Campaign Manager at the American Bird Conservancy, which maintains an extensive site about collisions and how to solve them.

The talk took place on May 1, 2017. It is part of the Cornell Lab’s long-running Monday Night Seminar series, a tradition established decades ago by Lab founder Dr. Arthur Allen. If you enjoyed this seminar, check this page for our list of future speakers—we’ll note which upcoming talks will be livestreamed—or come visit us in person!

See our index of archived livestreamed seminars to enjoy more talks from the Cornell Lab.