• FLAP Canada Data

    dead ruby-throated hummingbirds

With a scientific permit from Canadian Wildlife Service, our in-field volunteers recover thousands of dead birds each year that have died in collisions with buildings. During spring and fall migration seasons, we:

  • document the details of each collision, including date, location, species and time of day
  • tag and freeze all dead birds until the end of each migration season
  • sort and document the dead bird collection according to their species
  • train volunteers to help them develop bird identification skills
  • input bird-collision records into our community science database, the Global Bird Collision Mapper

Species List

Since 1993, we have documented over 87,000 birds of 176 species from a handful of buildings in the Greater Toronto Area.

FLAP Canada Full Bird Species List
FLAP Canada Bird Collision Rates

TOP 20 BIRD SPECIES
Victims of Bird-Building Collisions (GTA)

  1. White-throated Sparrow
  2. Golden-crowned Kinglet
  3. Ovenbird
  4. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  5. Brown Creeper
  6. Dark-eyed Junco
  7. Hermit Thrush
  8. Nashville Warbler
  9. Common Yellowthroat
  10. Black-capped Chickadee
  1. Magnolia Warbler
  2. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  3. Black-and-white Warbler
  4. Black-throated Blue Warbler
  5. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  6. Swainson’s Thrush
  7. American Woodcock
  8. Fox Sparrow
  9. Black-throated Green Warbler
  10. Song Sparrow

TOP 10 BIRD SPECIES-AT-RISK
Victims of Bird-Building Collisions (GTA)

  1. Wood Thrush
  2. Canada Warbler
  3. Eastern Whip-poor-will
  4. Eastern Wood-pewee
  5. Rusty Blackbird
  1. Grasshopper Sparrow
  2. Chimney Swift
  3. Golden-winged Warbler
  4. Acadian Flycatcher
  5. Barn Swallow

* FLAP data from 1993 – 2023. Last updated May 2024*

Canada Warbler

What Happens to the Dead Birds?

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) receives a yearly donation of dead birds for the purposes of research and education. They also distribute the birds to universities and other organizations for similar purposes. Some of the uses of dead birds include:

    • Research including genetic bar coding, West Nile Virus, pesticide and contaminant research
    • Study skins for permanent and teaching collections
    • Skeletons for study
    • Tissue and feather samples
    • Gallery displays and mounts
    • Searcher efficiency trials in wind farm monitoring
Photo: Patricia Seaton

FLAP Canada’s Annual Bird Layout is an emotive and provocative display of dead birds collected by our bird rescue volunteers in the previous year. This annual exhibit has proven to be one of FLAP’s most effective techniques for raising awareness and generating conversation over the dangers birds face in our built environment. The display is photographed and the images are used as part of awareness and educational programs.

Scientific Research

We are often called on to participate in bird collision research for government, industry, institutional and conservationists. Much of our research can be found on our resources page. If you would like to request FLAP Canada data for research purposes, please contact us.