Bird collisions with building windows are a top source of bird mortality, and reducing these collisions has been identified as an important action to help halt and reverse declines of North American bird populations.

Scott Loss, an associate professor at Oklahoma State University, has studied bird-window collisions for >7 years to assess spatial and temporal factors leading to collisions and to inform potential mitigation approaches.

In this Making a Home for Birds webinar presented by Audubon Society of Central Maryland and Safe Skies Maryland, Scott will talk about key research advances from his lab, including: (1) how bird-window collisions vary in time, both seasonally and throughout the day and night, and in association with bird migration and weather; (2) how collisions vary spatially in association with factors related to buildings and the landscapes surrounding them; and (3) how collision risk varies among bird species and in association with bird life history (e.g., migratory strategy).

Scott will also discuss how these findings are being used to recommend collision mitigation practices, as well as ongoing studies assessing approaches to reduce collisions, including using weather radar to predict collisions, installing markers and films on windows to reduce transparency and reflection effects, and evaluating human attitudes and perceptions about bird collisions and approaches to manage them.

Registration is required to attend this webinar. Registration is free, but donations are welcome.

About the Presenter: Scott Loss, PhD, is an associate professor of natural resource ecology and management at Oklahoma State University. His lab studies multiple aspects of global change ecology and management, including effects of climate change on wildlife and habitats, distributions and effects of invasive species, the role of wildlife and land cover change in vector-borne disease transmission, and direct sources of human-caused wildlife mortality like predation by free-ranging cats and bird collisions with structures (e.g., buildings, energy infrastructure, and vehicles). He has a PhD in natural resources management from the University of Minnesota, a master of science in natural resources management from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and a bachelor of science in wildlife ecology and management and biology from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.