Animal Biodiversity and Conservation. Volum 48.2 (2025) Pages: e0206-

Signals of a silent death: direct and indirect evidence of bird-window collisions in a Neotropical university campus

Montaño-Casas, P. A., Hernández-Serna, S., Garizábal-Carmona, J. A.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2025.48.0206

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Abstract

Window collisions are one of the main bird mortality causes, with estimates mainly based on North American studies. Here, we document bird collisions on a university campus of Medellín (Colombia), based on complementary methods: systematic and non-systematic approaches, including both direct (e.g., bird carcass) and indirect (e.g., bird silhouette) evidence. Collision rates varies across methods, ranging from 0.8 to 58 collisions/buildings/year, with 28 bird species identified (37 % of campus species). Most evidence was bird silhouettes, bodily fluids, and feathers. We highlight the importance of combining methods, adopting standardized protocols, and adjusting estimates considering the high bird carcass loss rates.

Keywords

Avian mortality, Bird-window strikes, Urban biodiversity, Urban ecology, Urbanization

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Montaño-Casas, P. A., Hernández-Serna, S., Garizábal-Carmona, J. A., 2025. Signals of a silent death: direct and indirect evidence of bird-window collisions in a Neotropical university campus. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation, 48: e0206-, DOI: https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2025.48.0206