Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada
Although mortality of birds from collisions with vehicles is estimated to be in the millions in the USA, Europe, and the UK, to date, no estimates exist for Canada. To address this, we calculated an estimate of annual avian mortality attributed to vehicular collisions during the breeding and fledgin...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art2/ |
| _version_ | 1797970729261596672 |
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| author | Christine A. Bishop Jason M. Brogan |
| author_facet | Christine A. Bishop Jason M. Brogan |
| author_sort | Christine A. Bishop |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although mortality of birds from collisions with vehicles is estimated to be in the millions in the USA, Europe, and the UK, to date, no estimates exist for Canada. To address this, we calculated an estimate of annual avian mortality attributed to vehicular collisions during the breeding and fledging season, in Canadian ecozones, by applying North American literature values for avian mortality to Canadian road networks. Because owls are particularly susceptible to collisions with vehicles, we also estimated the number of roadkilled Barn owls (Tyto alba) in its last remaining range within Canada. (This species is on the IUCN red list and is also listed federally as threatened; Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 2010, International Union for the Conservation of Nature 2012).
Through seven Canadian studies in existence, 80 species and 2,834 specimens have been found dead on roads representing species from 14 orders of birds. On Canadian 1 and 2-lane paved roads outside of major urban centers, the unadjusted number of bird mortalities/yr during an estimated 4-mo (122-d) breeding and fledging season for most birds in Canada was 4,650,137 on roads traversing through deciduous, coniferous, cropland, wetlands and nonagricultural landscapes with less than 10% treed area. On average, this represents 1,167 birds killed/100 km in Canada. Adjusted for scavenging, this estimate was 13,810,906 (3,462 dead birds/100 km).
For barn owls, the unadjusted number of birds killed annually on 4-lane roads during the breeding and fledging season, within the species geographic range in southern British Columbia, was estimated as 244 owls and, when adjusted for scavenging and observer bias (3.6 factor), the total was 851 owls. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:21:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-975fac7918f248779b8af19a9fe391ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1712-6568 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T03:21:37Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Avian Conservation and Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-975fac7918f248779b8af19a9fe391ab2023-01-02T08:56:41ZengResilience AllianceAvian Conservation and Ecology1712-65682013-12-0182210.5751/ACE-00604-080202604Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in CanadaChristine A. Bishop0Jason M. Brogan1Environment CanadaSimon Fraser UniversityAlthough mortality of birds from collisions with vehicles is estimated to be in the millions in the USA, Europe, and the UK, to date, no estimates exist for Canada. To address this, we calculated an estimate of annual avian mortality attributed to vehicular collisions during the breeding and fledging season, in Canadian ecozones, by applying North American literature values for avian mortality to Canadian road networks. Because owls are particularly susceptible to collisions with vehicles, we also estimated the number of roadkilled Barn owls (Tyto alba) in its last remaining range within Canada. (This species is on the IUCN red list and is also listed federally as threatened; Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 2010, International Union for the Conservation of Nature 2012). Through seven Canadian studies in existence, 80 species and 2,834 specimens have been found dead on roads representing species from 14 orders of birds. On Canadian 1 and 2-lane paved roads outside of major urban centers, the unadjusted number of bird mortalities/yr during an estimated 4-mo (122-d) breeding and fledging season for most birds in Canada was 4,650,137 on roads traversing through deciduous, coniferous, cropland, wetlands and nonagricultural landscapes with less than 10% treed area. On average, this represents 1,167 birds killed/100 km in Canada. Adjusted for scavenging, this estimate was 13,810,906 (3,462 dead birds/100 km). For barn owls, the unadjusted number of birds killed annually on 4-lane roads during the breeding and fledging season, within the species geographic range in southern British Columbia, was estimated as 244 owls and, when adjusted for scavenging and observer bias (3.6 factor), the total was 851 owls.http://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art2/birdsCanadacasualty estimatesconservationmitigationroadkillroads |
| spellingShingle | Christine A. Bishop Jason M. Brogan Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada Avian Conservation and Ecology birds Canada casualty estimates conservation mitigation roadkill roads |
| title | Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada |
| title_full | Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada |
| title_fullStr | Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada |
| title_short | Estimates of Avian Mortality Attributed to Vehicle Collisions in Canada |
| title_sort | estimates of avian mortality attributed to vehicle collisions in canada |
| topic | birds Canada casualty estimates conservation mitigation roadkill roads |
| url | http://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art2/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christineabishop estimatesofavianmortalityattributedtovehiclecollisionsincanada AT jasonmbrogan estimatesofavianmortalityattributedtovehiclecollisionsincanada |