The 1st National Symposium on Bird-Window Collisions in India concluded successfully on 12th May 2026 at the India International Centre (New Delhi), bringing into sharp focus a pervasive but largely invisible threat to the country’s avian biodiversity.
The symposium was convened by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Tirupati, the Nature Conservation Foundation, Feather Library, and the Rainmatter Foundation; along with Nature Future as ecosystem partner and Roundglass Sustain and Architecture Live as media partners.
The symposium brought together leading companies, non-profits and individuals from architecture, building material manufacturers, wildlife rescue and conservation organisations to share and discuss current status of bird-window collisions in India and potential measures required to prevent bird deaths from collisions with glass used in building construction. Discussions revealed that while the issue remains under-researched in India, available data is already sounding an alarm.
Key Note Address by Mr. Ashok B Lall, Principal Architect of Ashok B Lall Architects
The symposium commenced with a keynote address by Architect Ashok B Lall, who emphasized the need to address the issue of bird-window collision as an ethical obligation and not as a business opportunity alone. He stressed that mitigation measures such as bird-safe windows films consisting of dots, lines and patterns which have been successful in stopping bird-window collisions. He also discussed products such as bird friendly glasses which appear transparent to human eyes but visible enough to birds helping prevent bird deaths.
Understanding bird-window collision: Presentation by Mr Peeyush Sekhsaria, Architect and Conservation Professional; Senior Associate Fellow, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
Experience from the Field- Wildlife Rescue Organisations: Presentation by Col. Dr Navaz Shariff, Chief Wildlife Veterinarian, People for Animals Wildlife Hospital, Bengaluru
Experience from the Field- Wildlife Rescue Organisations: Ms Jayanthi Kallam, Executive Director, Avian & Reptile Rehabilitation Centre
Peeyush Sekhsaria (Architect and Senior Associate Fellow at Vidhi) presented a summary of over 1000 bird-window collision records from India. He cited examples from rescue centres in Bengaluru and Pune, indicating a significant data gap from the rest of the country. Despite this, the database has recorded a worrying 110 species as collision victims, of which 49 are migratory. Alarmingly, 9 species are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, granting them the highest level of protection. Additionally, the study found that certain species like White-cheeked Barbet, migrants like Indian Pitta, Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher and certain forest species that move in flocks like the beautiful Long-tailed Broadbill in the Himalaya and Northeast India may be at a significant risk from bird-window collisions. Dr. V.V. Robin (Associate Professor, IISER Tirupati) drew lessons from global efforts, noting how China went from zero data in 2018 to hosting a national database within five years, with citizens and students regularly monitoring buildings. He called for similar inter-disciplinary efforts in India to bridge the current data gaps.
Col. Dr Navaz Shariff, Chief Wildlife Veterinarian at the People for Animals Wildlife Hospital, Bengaluru reported that his hospital treated 71 birds for collision injuries in 2024, 85 in 2025, and 28 until April 2026. Collisions typically occured early in the morning, after rain or fog, and near green patches, causing head trauma and cerebral haemorrhage. Jayanthi Kallam, Executive Director of the Avian & Reptile Rehabilitation Centre, Bengaluru added that raptors often collide while chasing prey, and territorial species like Brahminy Kites mistake their reflection for a rival. She identified October (onset of winter migration) and May (return migration and breeding season) as the worst months for collisions. She noted that rescue centres are rarely called in the case of dead birds, and even if they are they often do not record dead birds, and some victims fly off only to die days later, implying that the number of bird collision victims is likely to be significantly higher than what is currently projected. She called for a centralised, real-time collision reporting system.
The industry perspective: Mrs Suprita Biswas, Associate Director- Technical Development, Green Business Certification Inc. India
The industry perspective: Mr U. Gopinath, Manager– Design & Sustainability, Saint-Gobain India
Industry insights were delivered by Suprita Biswas (Associate Director - Technical Development Green Business Certification Inc, India) and U. Gopinath (Manager - Design & Sustainability, Saint-Gobain India). Suprita shared insights from Toronto, which in 2007 released Bird-Friendly building guidelines that provided a framework for other cities in North America as well. She noted that LEED v5 considers 3 main environmental factors, one of which includes bird-safe design as a credit, but its threat factors are based on North American species. Gopinath stressed that a significant percentage of urban India is yet to be built, offering an immense opportunity for intervention and awareness-building. He noted that landscape design and light behind the glass matter as much as the glass itself for preventing bird deaths.
Panel 1: Bird-Friendly Glasses and Innovations - Architect Gurneet Singh, Director, Environmental Design Solutions, Mr Rishabh Patel, Technical Manager, Asahi India Glass Ltd., Architect Nidhi Batra, Institute of Urban Designers India and Ms Aarushi Srivastava, Development Professional Moderated by Akshatha Narayan, Strategy Lead- Built Environment, Rainmatter Foundation
Panel 1: Bird-Friendly Glasses and Innovations
Moderated by Akshatha Narayan (Strategy Lead- Built Environment, Rainmatter Foundation), the panel included Ajay Singh (Manager - Sales & Business Development, Solar Gard), Aarushi Srivastava (Development Professional), Architect Gurneet Singh (Director, Environmental Design Solutions), Architect Nidhi Batra (Chairperson, Institute of Urban Designers India), and Rishab Patel (Technical Lead, Asahi India Glass). Experts stressed that materials are not the only factor, design, thoughtful facade and landscape planning are equally important in preventing collisions. Lack of Indian data, client awareness, and regulatory push hinder adoption of bird-safe building practices. Lack of consumer demand and importing of bird-safe film keep costs high. Aarushi Srivastava shared insights from the successful mitigation efforts undertaken at her office after they discovered bird window collisions on one of their building facades. The panel called for integrating biodiversity into architectural education, launching pilot projects via CSR, local manufacturing of bird-safe glass, and creating consumer demand alongside regulatory push.
Panel 2: Role of Institutions and Non-Profits - Mr Jose Louies, CEO, Wildlife Trust of India, Dr Monalisa Sen, Associate Director, ICLEI South Asia, Dr V.V. Robin, Associate Professor (Biology), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati, Ms Bharati Ramachandran, CEO, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations and Ms Dipal Damania, Co-Founder, Nature Future Moderated by Debadityo Sinha, Lead- Climate & Ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
Panel 2: Role of Institutions and Non-Profits
Moderated by Debadityo Sinha (Team Lead, Climate and Ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy), the panel included Jose Louies (CEO, Wildlife Trust of India), Dr Monalisa Sen (Associate Director, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives-South Asia), Dr V.V. Robin (Associate Professor, IISER Tirupati), Bharati Ramachandran (CEO, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations), and Dipal Damania (Co-founder, Nature Future). The panel highlighted a critical mandate gap for urban local bodies, which predominantly consist of engineers who are not trained to design infrastructure for such issues. Furthermore, they report to MoHUA, while biodiversity’s mandate falls under MoEFCC, leaving city governments powerless to enforce bird-safe measures without better laws. NGOs and rescue centres were identified as the overburdened first responders, lacking capacity and funding to simultaneously rescue and collect data. The panel noted that without a policy mandate at the city level and without sufficient local data, advocacy efforts face an uphill battle, because authorities can simply point to the absence of any legal requirements.
Panel 3: Role of Citizen Science and Media - Dr Ashwin Viswanathan, Scientist & Senior Project Manager, Nature Conservation Foundation, Ms Esha Munshi, Founder, Feather Library, Ms Megha Moorthy, Editor-in-Chief, Roundglass Sustain, Mr Rajesh Advani, Founder Director, Architecture Live and Mr Kartik Chandramouli, Senior Digital Editor, Mongabay India Moderated by Ananda Banerjee, Senior Journalist & Author
Panel 3: Role of Citizen Science and Media
Moderated by Ananda Banerjee (Senior journalist and author), the panel included Dr Ashwin Viswanathan (Scientist & Senior Project Manager, Nature Conservation Foundation), Esha Munshi (Founder, Feather Library), Megha Moorthy (Editor-in-Chief, Roundglass Sustain), Rajesh Advani (Founder Director, ArchitectureLive) and Kartik Chandramouli (Senior Digital Editor, Mongabay India). The panel affirmed that citizen science can yield high-quality data, provided the right curation structures exist, though geographic gaps and unmapped species remain. The panel discussed how the lack of data on bird-window collisions makes it difficult for journalists to cover the issue and the challenges in keeping stories on themes like bird window collision in the news cycle. The panel called for writing in multiple Indian languages to broaden reach and for augmenting citizen science with data from rescue centres and museums to demonstrate the true scale of mortality.
Concluding Remarks - Dr Asad Rahmani, Veteran Ornithologist and Former Director, Bombay Natural History Society
Concluding remarks were delivered by Dr Asad Rahmani, Veteran Ornithologist and Former Director, Bombay Natural History Society. He spoke about the role of scientific research and publications in conservation. Dr. Rahmani narrated incidents of how scientific papers helped in the advocacy of vulture conservation which led to the banning of diclofenac as a veterinary drug and the litigation on preventing deaths of birds like the Great Indian Bustard from windmills and electricity wires. He emphasised that in the absence of robust scientific evidence and comprehensive data, judicial and governmental institutions are unlikely to prioritise the concerns of activists and conservationists.
The symposium was attended by over 50 participants, including students, architects, conservationists, journalists, and NGO representatives. It concluded with an open house discussion where attendees deliberated on possible advocacy strategies, explored potential collaborations, and charted the way forward for addressing bird-window collisions in India.
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