"Only 40% of birds survive collisions with windows, researchers say, suggesting that mortality rates are far higher than previously thought"
"Less than half of stunned or injured birds survive a collision with a window, research has found, pushing up estimates that more than 1 billion birds may die each year from flying into buildings in the US.
In a new study published on Wednesday in Plos One, researchers examined how many birds recovered in rehabilitative care after a building collision. Older estimates had assumed that most stunned birds would recover, but researchers found about 60% died, meaning the number killed by building strikes may be far higher than previously thought.
Ar Kornreich, a PhD candidate at Fordham University in New York City and the lead author of the study, said the yearly US mortality rate in birds was a tragedy, and the new research showed previous mortality estimates may not have captured the extent of the toll.
“Most studies that are published are done on birds – usually on impact – that are already dead,” she said. “The truth of the matter is there are many birds that collide and don’t immediately die.”"
Rais Esat reports for the Guardian August 7, 2024.
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