Loss Lab
Global Change Ecology & Management
Scott R. Loss
Associate Professor
Dept. of Natural Resource Ecology & Management
Oklahoma State University
Human-caused Wildlife Mortality
A tremendous number of birds and other wildlife are killed by direct, human-caused mortality sources, including collisions with structures and vehicles, predation by free-ranging cats, and other threats. These mortality sources have received increased research, policy & management attention, and extensive media and public interest. Our lab is a global leader in studying direct mortality effects on wildlife populations and approaches to reduce mortality.
Our wildlife mortality research includes 3 main facets: (1) systematic reviews of existing mortality studies to identify regional & continental effects on wildlife; (2) methodological studies to examine how different approaches to study design, data collection, and analysis influence estimation of mortality impacts; and (3) field studies evaluating factors that influence mortality and management approaches to reduce mortality.
Our research has produced U.S. estimates of bird mortality from direct human-related threats (below graph from our 2015 Annual Reviews paper) that have been referenced thousands of times in popular media outlets (e.g., media coverage of cat predation estimates) and inform conservation and education efforts by federal agencies & conservation organizations (e.g., image below by Smithsonian is based on our mortality estimates and accompanied 2014 State of the Birds report, published by 23 national conservation agencies & organizations)
Current and Recent Wildlife Mortality Research in the Loss Lab
Led by master's student Georgia Riggs (left), we are studying the effectiveness of a commercially marketed (FeatherFriendly brand) window film (both pictures) in reducing bird-window collisions; this is one of the first replicated, before-after field studies of its kind in the world. Georgia is also studying human perceptions of bird-window collisions to identify potential roadblocks (and educational opportunities to overcome any roadblocks) that may prevent widespread use of bird friendly glass.
Led by PhD student Corey Riding (left) we conducted a field study of bird-building collisions in Oklahoma that included assessment of variables influencing collision numbers (e.g., building, landscape, and seasonal factors) and evaluation of searcher detection and scavenger removal (below right) of bird carcasses.
Led by PhD student Jared Elmore (left), OSU's Dr. Fritz L. Knopf PhD Fellow, we analyzed large data sets to further study bird-building collisions. Jared: (1) used our Oklahoma collision data to assess if variables derived from weather radar (right) (e.g., bird migration passage rate) predict collisions, and (2) used collision data from 40 universities across North America, to identify correlates of bird-building collision rates for different species.
We received funding from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and Minnesota Vikings football team to lead a study investigating bird-building collisions in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Led by master's student Sirena Lao (upper left), we published the first study of bird collisions at a stadium (upper right) and papers on the effect of weather on collisions (lower left) and the effect of artificial night lighting & polarized light on collisions (lower right).
Led by master's student Maureen Thompson (left), we conducted an analysis of factors influencing bat collisions at U.S. wind farms. This study also contributed to a USGS effort to develop a national risk assessment methodology for identifying population effects of wind energy on birds and bats (right).
In addition to these studies led by the Loss Lab, we have contributed to numerous other wildlife mortality studies, including national & continental studies of renewable energy effects on birds and other wildlife with collaborators at U.S. Geological Survey and American Wind Wildlife Institute, among others (e.g., see Issues in Ecology review of wind energy effects on wildlife (left), and "Wind Energy: An Ecological Challenge" published in Science (right).
All wildlife mortality publications (Loss Lab members in bold):
Vander Zanden, H.B., Nelson, D.M., Conkling, T.J., Allison, T.D., Diffendorfer, J.E., Dietsch, T.V., Fesnock, A.L., Loss, S.R., Ortiz, P.A., Paulman, R., Rogers, K.H., Sanzenbacher, P.M., Katzner, T.E. 2024. The geographic extent of bird populations affected by renewable-energy development. Conservation Biology e14191.
Loss, S.R., Li, B.V., Horn, L.C, Mesure, M.R., Zhu, L., Brys, T.G., Dokter, A.M., Elmore, J.A., Gibbons, R.E., Houmayoun, T.Z., Horton, K.G., Inglet, P., Jones, B.J., Keys, T., Lao, S., Loss, S.S., Parkins, K.L., Prestridge, H.L., Riggs, G.J., Riding, C.S., Sweezey, K.R.I., Vallery, A.C., Van Doren, B.M., Wang, J., Zuzula, C., Farnsworth, A. 2023. Citizen science to address the global issue of bird-window collisions. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 21:418-427.
Lao, S., Anderson, A.W., Blair, R.B., Eckles, J.W., Turner, R.J., Loss, S.R. 2023. Bird-building collisions increase with weather conditions that favor nocturnal migration and with inclement and changing weather. Ornithological Applications 125:duac045.
Riggs, G.J., Barton, C.M., Riding, C.S., O'Connell, T.J., Loss, S.R. 2023. Field-testing effectiveness of window markers in reducing bird-window collisions. Urban Ecosystems 26:713-723.
Conkling, T.J., McClure, C.J.W., Cuadros, S., Loss, S.R., Katzner, T.E. 2022. Limited rigor in studies of raptor mortality and mitigation at wind power facilities. Biological Conservation 275:109707.
Lepczyk, C., Duffy, D.C., Bird, D.M., Calver, M., Cherkassky, D., Cherkassky, L., Dickman, C.R., Hunter, D., Jessup, D., Longcore, T., Loss, S.R., Loyd, K.A.T., Marra, P.P., Marzluff, J.M., Noss, R.F., Simberloff, D., Sizemore, G., Temple, S.A., van Heezik, Y. A 2022. A science-based policy for managing free-ranging cats Biological Invasions 24:3693-3701.
Loss, S.R., Boughton, B., Cady, S.M., Londe, D.W., McKinney, C., O'Connell, T.J., Riggs, G.J., Robertson, E.P. 2022. Review and synthesis of the global literature on domestic cat impacts on wildlife. Journal of Animal Ecology 91:1361-1372.
Cohen, E.B., Buler, J.J., Horton, K.G., Loss, S.R., Cabrera-Cruz, S., Smolinsky, J., Marra, P.P. 2022. Using weather radar to help minimize wind energy impacts on nocturnally migrating birds. Conservation Letters 15:e12887.
Conkling, T.J., Vander Zanden, H.B., Allison, T.D., Diffendorfer, J.E., Dietsch, T.V., Duerr, A.E., Fesnock, A.L., Hernandez, R.R., Loss, S.R., Nelson, D.M., Sanzenbacher, P.M., Yee, J.L., Katzner, T.E. 2022. Vulnerability of avian populations to renewable energy production. Royal Society Open Science 9:211558.
Riggs, G.J., Joshi, O., Loss, S.R. 2022. Stakeholder perceptions of bird-window collisions. PLOS ONE 17:e0263447.
Diffendorfer, J.E., Stanton, J.C., Beston, J.A., Thogmartin, W.E., Loss, S.R., Katzner, T.E., Johnson, D.H., Erickson, R.A., Merrill, M.D., Corum, M.D. 2021. Demographic and potential biological removal models identify raptor species sensitive to current and future wind energy. Ecosphere 12:e03531.
Riding, C.S., O’Connell, T.J., Loss, S.R. 2021. Multi-scale temporal variation in bird-window collisions in the central United States. Scientific Reports 11:11062.
Coe, S.T., Elmore, J.A., Elizondo, E.C. Loss, S.R. 2021. Free-ranging domestic cat abundance and sterilization percentage following five years of a trap–neuter–return program. Wildlife Biology (DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00799).
Elmore, J., Riding, C.S., Horton, K.G., O'Connell, T.J., Farnsworth, A., Loss, S.R. 2021. Predicting bird-window collisions with weather radar. Journal of Applied Ecology 58:1593-1601.
Li, Y., Wan, Y., Shen, H., Loss, S.R., Marra, P.P., Li, Z. 2021. Estimates of wildlife killed by free-ranging cats in China. Biological Conservation 253:108929.
Elmore, J., Hager, S.B., Cosentino, B.J., … Riding, C.S., … Loss, S.R. (53 total co-authors). 2021. Correlates of bird collisions with buildings across three North American countries. Conservation Biology 35:654-665.
Conkling, T., Loss, S.R., Diffendorfer, J., Duerr, A., Katzner, T. 2021. Limitations, lack of standardization, and recommended best practices in studies of renewable energy effects on birds and bats. Conservation Biology 35:64-76.
Katzner, T., Braham, M., Conkling, T., Diffendorfer, J., Duerr, A., Loss, S.R., Nelson, D., Vander Zanden, H., Yee, J. 2020. Assessing population-level consequences of anthropogenic stressors for terrestrial wildlife. Ecosphere 11:e03046.
Loss, S.R., Lao, S., Anderson, A.W., Blair, R.B., Eckles, J.W., Turner, R.J. 2020. Inclement weather and an unusually large number of American Woodcock building collisions during spring migration in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Wildlife Biology DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00623.
Riding, C.S., O’Connell, T.J., Loss, S.R. 2020. Building façade-level correlates of bird-window collisions in a small urban area. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 122:duz065 (doi: 10.1093/condor/duz065).
Lao, S., Robertson, B., Anderson, A.W., Blair, R.B., Eckles, J.W., Turner, R.J., Loss, S.R. 2020. The influence of artificial light at night and polarized light on bird-building collisions. Biological Conservation 241:108358.
Katzner, T.E., Nelson, D.M., Diffendorfer, J.E., Duerr, A.E., Campbell, C.J., Leslie, D., Vander Zanden, H.B., Yee, J.L., Sur, M., Huso, M.M.P., Braham, M.A., Morrison, M.L., Loss, S.R., Poessel, S.A., Conkling, T.J., Miller, T.A. 2019. Wind energy: An Ecological Challenge. Science 366:1206-1207.
Loss, S.R., Lao, S., Eckles, J.W., Anderson, A.W., Blair, R.B., Turner, R.J. 2019. Factors influencing bird-building collisions in the downtown area of a major North American city. PLOS ONE In Press 14:e0224164.
Allison, T.D., Diffendorfer, J.E., Baerwald, E.F., Beston, J.A., Drake, D., Hale, A.M., Hein, C.D., Huso, M.M., Loss, S.R., Lovich, J.E., Strickland, M.D., Williams, K,A., Winder, V.L. 2019. Impacts to wildlife of wind energy siting and operation in the United States. Issues in Ecology 21.
Dorning, M.A., Diffendorfer, J.E., Loss, S.R., Bagstad, K.J. 2019. Review and synthesis of indicators for comparing environmental impacts across energy sources. Environmental Research Letters 14:103002.
Diffendorfer, J.E., Beston, J.A., Merrill, M.D., Stanton, J.C., Corum, M.D., Loss, S.R., Thogmartin, W.E., Johnson, D.H., Erickson, R.A., Heist, K.W. 2019. A methodology to assess the national and regional impacts of wind energy development on birds and bats. U.S. Geological Survey, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5157, 45 p. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185157 [Supersedes USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5066].
Loss, S.R., Dorning, M.A., Diffendorfer, J.E. 2019. Biases in the research on direct wildlife mortality from energy development. BioScience 69:348-359.
Riding, C.S., Loss, S.R. 2018. Factors influencing experimental estimation of scavenger removal and observer detection in bird‐window collision surveys. Ecological Applications 28:2119-2129.
Loss, S.R., O’Connell, T. 2018. In Harm’s Way: Human-related Threats to Birds. Pp. 801-829 In Morrison, M.L., Rodewald, A.D., Voelker, G., Colon, Prather, J.F. (eds). Ornithology: Foundation, Critique, and Application. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Longcore, T., Marra, P.P. 2018. Responding to misinformation and criticisms regarding United States cat predation estimates. Biological Invasions 20:3385-3396.
Loss, S.R., Marra, P.P. 2018. Merchants of doubt in the free-ranging cat conflict. Conservation Biology 32:265-66.
Thompson, M., Beston, J., Etterson, M., Diffendorfer, J., Loss, S.R. 2017. Factors affecting bat collision mortality at wind facilities in the United States. Biological Conservation 215:241-245.
Loss, S.R., Marra, P.P. 2017. Population impacts of free-ranging domestic cats on mainland vertebrates. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15:502-509.
Hager, S.B., Cosentino, B.J., ... .... Loss, S.R., ... ... Riding, C.S., et al. (>60 co-authors), I. 2017. Continent-wide analysis of how urbanization affects bird-window collision mortality in North America. Biological Conservation 212:209-215.
Barton, C., Riding, C., Loss, S.R. 2017. Magnitude and correlates of bird collisions at glass bus shelters in an urban landscape. PLoS ONE 12:e0178667.
Diffendorfer, J.E., Beston, J.A., Merrill, M.D., Stanton, J.C., Corum, M.D., Loss, S.R., Thogmartin, W., Johnson, D.H., Erickson, R.A., Heist, K.W. 2017. A method to assess the population level consequences of wind energy facilities on bird and bat species. Pp. 65-76 In: Köppel, J. (Ed.) Wind Energy and Wildlife Interactions. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland.
Elizondo, E., Loss, S.R. 2016. Using trail cameras to study free-ranging domestic cat abundance in urban areas. Wildlife Biology 22:246-252.
Johnson, D.H., Loss, S.R., Smallwood, K.S., Erickson, W.P. 2016. Avian fatalities at wind energy facilities in North America: a comparison of recent approaches. Human-Wildlife Interactions 10:7-18.
Loss, S.R. 2016. Avian interactions with energy infrastructure in the context of other anthropogenic threats. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 118:424-432.
Beston, J.A., Diffendorfer, J., Loss, S.R., Johnson, D.H. 2016. Prioritizing avian species for their risk of population level consequences from wind energy development. PLoS ONE 11:e0150813.
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Marra, P.P. 2015. Direct mortality of birds from accidental anthropogenic causes. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 46:99-120.
Marra, P.P., Cohen, E.B., Loss, S.R., Rutter, J.E., Tonra, C.M. 2015. A call for full annual cycle research in animal ecology. Biology Letters 11(8).
Loss, S.R., Loss, S.S., Will, T., Marra, P.P. 2015. Linking place-based citizen science with large-scale research: A case study of bird-building collisions and the role of professional scientists. Biological Conservation 184:439-445
Beston, J.A., Diffendorfer, J.E. Loss, S.R. 2015. Insufficient sampling to identify species affected by wind turbine collisions. Journal of Wildlife Management 79:513-517.
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Marra, P.P. 2014. Refining estimates of bird collision and electrocution mortality at power lines in the United States. PLoS ONE 9:e101565
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Marra, P.P. 2014. Estimation of annual bird mortality from vehicle collisions on roads in the United States. Journal of Wildlife Management 78:763-771. (Chosen as highlighted article of the month by journal editorial staff)
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Loss, S.S., Marra, P.P. 2014. Bird-building collisions in the United States: estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 116:8-23 (Chosen as highlighted article of the month by journal editorial staff)
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Marra, P.P. 2013. Estimates of bird collision mortality at wind farms in the United States. Biological Conservation 168:201-209 (Chosen as highlighted article of the month by journal editorial staff)
Loss, S.R., Will, T., Marra, P.P. 2013. The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States. Nature Communications 4:1396 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2380.
Loss, S.R., Marra, P.P, Will, T. 2012. Direct human-caused mortality of birds: improving quantification of magnitude and assessment of population impacts. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 10:357–364.