Monitoring bird-building collisions on campus: Project Safe Flight Georgia (Georgia Audubon)

Project Description

Birds are vital to our everyday lives. They pollinate, they disperse seeds, they devour pests, and they bring us great joy and inspiration. However, birds are in trouble. While they face many pressures, one that is present on Kennesaw State University's campus is that of collisions with structures.  Between 365 million and 1 billion birds are estimated to perish each year from colliding with buildings in the United States, the 3rd leading cause of avian death. Bright lights at night, shiny glass exteriors, and transparent facades can be deadly as birds struggle determining what is and isn't a clear pathway during flight.

Georgia Audubon and the Guindre-Parker lab are searching for student volunteers for Project Safe Flight Georgia (PSFG) to help 1) study the issue of bird-building collisions on Kennesaw State's campus, 2) collect collision data by monitoring select building exteriors and collect specimens, 3) assist in data management, reporting, and specimen cataloging and 4) investigate opportunities to reduce collisions on campus. The goal of this project is to determine what species and how many birds are affected on our campus and across Georgia, what parts of campus are problematic, and what can be done to make Kennesaw State University, and our state, more bird safe.

Project Department

Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology

Research Requirements

Student researches will monitor select buildings by walking around the exterior of the building to look for injured birds. Researchers should be available to conduct at least one survey route per week on the Kennesaw campus, preferably in the morning though afternoon surveys may be considered too. Student researchers will keep detailed notes consistent with existing protocols, and will report injured wildlife to the team leader.

Project Duration

Ongoing

Contact

Dr. Sarah Guindre-Parker, sguindre@kennesaw.edu