2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Community Outreach for Reduction of Bird Window Strikes Through VIP Program

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Heidi Carlisle and Mariah Hoel

Abstract

Up to one billion birds die from window strikes in the United States alone, making this a glaring issue to bird conservation. Window strikes occur due to a bird's inability to differentiate a window pane from open space, especially when these windows are reflecting trees and other natural features. Students and faculty in the Intermountain Bird Observatory Window Strikes VIP have been working on a project spanning over 4 years to find campus-wide solutions to prevent window strike occurrences. Over the spring 2026 semester, VIP participants focused on expanding window strikes awareness and prevention to the wider Boise community, engaging audiences in multiple community events. Through these community events, VIP participants educated audiences about the dangers of window strikes, proposed multiple solutions to make windows safer for birds, and have engaged community members to contribute to the Birds in the Anthropocene project, a Nation-wide art project that raises awareness towards window-strikes. Additionally, project participants were able to secure grant funding from the Idaho Chapter of Wildlife Society. The Spring 2026 Window Strikes VIP has made multiple community-wide successes, raising more awareness to the issue of bird-window strikes.

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