Conservation sciences graduate student helps develop "Stop the Thud" initiative to protect birds on campus

A new initiative at the University of Minnesota is tracking bird collisions with campus buildings in an effort to address ongoing concerns about bird safety.

The Stop the Thud initiative asks University community members to report when and where they see bird strikes on campus, as well as a description of the bird through an online form. In the future, researchers plan to analyze this data to uncover patterns about bird behavior and better mitigate bird strikes.

The location of the University in the Mississippi Flyway, an important route for many migratory birds during the fall and spring, can make campus buildings especially dangerous. Buildings with glassy facades, such as modern skyscrapers, can confuse many birds, according to CFANS conservation sciences graduate student Andrew Hallberg, who helped develop the Stop the Thud initiative in collaboration with the University’s Office of Sustainability.