Death toll for birds hitting buildings may be over 1 billion a year in US – report

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.