Hundreds of millions of birds killed in building collisions
More than 300 bird species have fallen victim to building collisions.
Hundreds of millions of birds in the US die each year due to collisions with buildings. Conservationists are calling for architects and home owners to take steps to prevent this.
The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) estimates between 300 million and 1 billion deaths due to collisions with glass in 2014.
Often, birds see just the reflection of the sky in buildings but not the glass itself.
Songbirds are thought to be most at risk. However, ABC has identified nearly 300 bird species affected by collisions with buildings, including hummingbirds, kingfishers, woodpeckers and birds of prey.
Christine Sheppard, bird campaigns manager at ABC told the BBC that birds are often distracted by looking for prey or predators and "what's in front isn't necessarily more important than what's behind."
Conservationists including ABC and the Fatal Light Awareness Programme are calling for architects to use bird-safe design elements such as window tape or film that is visible to birds, netting, or exterior shutters.
Visit ABC's website to view its bird friendly building guide: http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/collisions/pdf/Bird-friendly_Building_Guide_WEB.pdf
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
