WHY DO BIRDS COLLIDE WITH WINDOWS?

Bird-window collisions are a significant cause of mortality in migratory birds. Estimates suggest over a BILLION birds are killed by window collisions across North America every year. Birds do not see glass. During the day, many birds fly straight into windows and reflective or transparent building exteriors, mistaking these as access to habitat or habitat itself.

Bird-window collisions often result in death on impact. But even when a bird is not killed outright, it may fall to the ground stunned, where it is vulnerable to predators, or ultimately succumb to its injuries soon after the collision, despite being able to initially fly away.

HOW CAN COLLISIONS WITH WINDOWS BE PREVENTED?

Window collisions are preventable. There are several glass-treatment and window design options that can be integrated into building designs before and after construction. FLAP Canada recommends that individual developers, municipalities, and other levels of government use the Canadian Standards Association’s (CSA) Bird-Friendly Building Design Standard (CSA A460:19) for consistent and effective guidance on making buildings safer for birds. The CSA standard is guided by science and existing bird-safe regulations in North America. This standard ensures that visual cues are applied to the exterior glass surface with effective spacing to help birds detect and avoid colliding with windows.

CALL FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ST. GEORGE CAMPUS TO COMMIT TO BECOMING A BIRD-SAFE CAMPUS BY RETROFITTING OLDER BUILDINGS ALONGSIDE ITS ADOPTION OF BIRD-SAFE WINDOW STANDARDS ON ALL NEW BUILDS.

We know that bird collisions are actively occurring on UofT’s St. George campus and have identified some high-risk buildings with glass window facades and glass railings. Volunteer members of the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP Canada) continue to document birds dying by collisions on campus. Records containing photographs and full details of window collisions are publicly available online at birdmapper.org. 

TO AVOID FUTURE BIRD MORTALITIES, WE PETITION THE FOLLOWING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO’S SYSTEM BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

We request that the University of Toronto comply with the Canadian Standards Association’s (CSA) Bird-Friendly Development Guidelines and retrofit the existing high-risk buildings we have identified in a timely manner to prevent any additional bird-window collisions during peak-migratory periods. We commit to partnering to advise and achieve this goal, raising awareness and promoting the University of Toronto’s St. George campus as a Bird Safe Campus under FLAP Canada’s program.

Taking action to mitigate bird collisions demonstrates leadership in local sustainability and commitment to conserving biodiversity. It also generates positive publicity and ensures compliance with the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act and the Species at Risk Act. We look forward to the University of Toronto St. George campus joining the growing number of universities making their campuses bird-friendly.