Bird Strikes at Brandeis
Have you ever seen a dead bird while walking through campus? Unfortunately, this is a common experience. As the decal on Shiffman (created by Forrest Shimazu, Brandeis ‘24) says, “North American bird populations have declined by nearly one-third in the last 50 years...Don't let the rest fade away…”. One major contributing factor to this decline is the prevalence of window strikes.
Most bird species simply can’t see glass the way humans do, and don’t understand that they can’t fly through it. Shiny, reflective windows, and windows that allow birds to see through a building to the other side, pose the greatest threat. Birds don’t see the glass, they see a pathway to fly towards more greenery, then strike the window. Most of the time, the collision is fatal. Mandel Humanities quad, the Shapiro Science Center, Skyline, and the Library are some stellar examples of architecture at Brandeis that are perfect for bird strikes, with their large, reflective windows.
Luckily, there are a few ways to mitigate bird strikes on existing windows. Closing blinds, installing external screens, and adding patterned decals can all help make windows visible to birds. During the Brandeis Year of Climate Action in 2022-23, there was a contest held for a decal design to prevent bird strikes. Forrest won the contest, and his decal was put on one of the windows on Shiffman hall in the Mandel quad. So far, Brandeis hasn’t taken any additional action to prevent bird strikes, but students in Skyline have taken it into their own hands, putting sticky notes on windows that pose the greatest risk for birds.
There is an iNaturalist project dedicated to documenting bird strikes at Brandeis, called Brandeis Bird Strike. You can help call attention to this issue by uploading evidence of any bird strike victims you observe. You can also bird-proof your windows by adding sticky notes or curtains, and educate your friends and family about window strike prevention.
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