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1 billion birds are killed yearly in North America by collisions with buildings, especially reflective windows. Birds perceive reflections as a continuation of their habitat and may fly into the window. The Unites States' Gulf Coast, where Rice University is located, is a major migratory corridor and rest area for birds that migrate over the ocean. These birds are particularly prone to bird-building collisions. We have been monitoring bird-building collisions on campus since the Spring of 2023. Sadly, since then we have recorded at least 105 birds killed by colliding against buildings on our campus.
But thankfully we have recently been able, in partnership with Rice's Office of Facilities and Capital Planning and Office of Sustainability to start implementing actions to reduce such collisions. In the Summer of 2024, a dotted film (pictured) was applied to the large bank of windows in the East stairwell of the Anderson Biological Laboratory building—which we previously identified as one of the top locations for bird casualties at Rice. This film is recommended by the American Bird Conservancy and deters birds by helping them perceive the windows as a solid surface. With help from the campus community, we hope this will be just the first step towards applying a similar film to all bird-killing windows at Rice!
Our bird-building collision monitoring program is in partnership with the Texas Audubon Society and the Texas A&M University Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections.
How can YOU help?
- Report dead or injured birds on campus to me (Rafael Marcondes, rmarco3[at]rice.edu). Do not touch or move any dead birds you see on campus. In your email, include a photo and a detailed description of where the bird was found.
-Spread the word to everyone on campus: Dots save birds! We need the largest possible number of Rice people to support effective bird-saving actions.
-The first step towards solving any environmental problem is enhancing awareness! Learn more about solutions to the problem of bird-building collisions from the following resources:
- The Lights Out Texas! program from the Audubon Society
- How to Design and Legislate Bird-Friendly Buildings, from the American Bird Conservancy
-Learn about other threats to birds and how to fix them on 3billionbirds.org
1 billion birds are killed yearly in North America by collisions with buildings, especially reflective windows. Birds perceive reflections as a continuation of their habitat and may fly into the window. The Unites States' Gulf Coast, where Rice University is located, is a major migratory corridor and rest area for birds that migrate over the ocean. These birds are particularly prone to bird-building collisions. We have been monitoring bird-building collisions on campus since the Spring of 2023. Sadly, since then we have recorded at least 105 birds killed by colliding against buildings on our campus.
But thankfully we have recently been able, in partnership with Rice's Office of Facilities and Capital Planning and Office of Sustainability to start implementing actions to reduce such collisions. In the Summer of 2024, a dotted film (pictured) was applied to the large bank of windows in the East stairwell of the Anderson Biological Laboratory building—which we previously identified as one of the top locations for bird casualties at Rice. This film is recommended by the American Bird Conservancy and deters birds by helping them perceive the windows as a solid surface. With help from the campus community, we hope this will be just the first step towards applying a similar film to all bird-killing windows at Rice!
Our bird-building collision monitoring program is in partnership with the Texas Audubon Society and the Texas A&M University Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections.
How can YOU help?
- Report dead or injured birds on campus to me (Rafael Marcondes, rmarco3[at]rice.edu). Do not touch or move any dead birds you see on campus. In your email, include a photo and a detailed description of where the bird was found.
-Spread the word to everyone on campus: Dots save birds! We need the largest possible number of Rice people to support effective bird-saving actions.
-The first step towards solving any environmental problem is enhancing awareness! Learn more about solutions to the problem of bird-building collisions from the following resources:
- The Lights Out Texas! program from the Audubon Society
- How to Design and Legislate Bird-Friendly Buildings, from the American Bird Conservancy
-Learn about other threats to birds and how to fix them on 3billionbirds.org