Bird strikes with aircraft, vehicles, and buildings cause millions of bird deaths annually — and improving prevention measures can significantly reduce this welfare harm.
Bird strikes cause acute trauma — often fatal or leaving birds with severe injuries that cause prolonged suffering before death. Vehicle strikes frequently result in birds unable to fly, exposed to predation or gradual deterioration. Building strikes cause brain trauma that may be immediately fatal or leave birds stunned and vulnerable. Each of these causes preventable suffering at enormous scale. Prevention technologies and design standards — bird-safe glass, radar detection, habitat management — exist and are increasingly available. Their adoption is a straightforward welfare investment.