Bird collisions with buildings are the second largest anthropogenic source of direct mortality for birds (365–988 million birds killed annually in the United States). Recent research suggests that this mortality occurs disproportionately across species. However, previous work had relied on regional and annual measures of relative species abundance. Our research identifies which species experience higher or lower collision rates than expected from local abundances using two sets of citizen science data: Minnesota Project BirdSafe and the Mississippi River Twin Cities Important Bird Area Landbird Monitoring Program. Our analysis used a measure of relative species abundance that spatially overlaps the area monitored for building collisions and was measured weekly, allowing for a temporally and spatially more specific analysis than most previous analyses. Abundance and collision data were used to model phylogenetic and behavioral traits associated with increased collision risk. Behavioral traits included diurnal/nocturnal migration timing, length of migration, and foraging strategies. Our analysis shows that birds that predominately migrate during the day have a decreased risk of building collisions despite peak collision numbers occurring during early morning; this result suggests that more nuanced behavioral or physiological differences between diurnal and nocturnal migrants could contribute to bird-building collision risk. Additionally, for many species, local abundance is the predominant determining factor for collision risk. However, for ~20% of species studied, the family, genus, and/or species of a bird may affect the collision risk.

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Bird–window collisions (BWCs) are a major threat to avian populations, annually causing up to one billion bird deaths in the US alone and untold numbers of fatalities worldwide. Until recently, there has been limited institutional and governmental recognition of this issue and few coordinated, national‐level efforts to address it. To fill this need, citizen‐science campaigns have stepped in to generate scientific information about BWCs, raise public awareness, and advocate for policy and actions to reduce collisions. We review the BWC issue and showcase how citizen‐science programs in multiple countries have achieved these outcomes. Additional citizen‐driven successes in addressing BWCs are possible if key constraints are overcome, including funding limitations and challenges of proactively engaging stakeholders who can reduce BWCs at scale. Addressing this global conservation issue will also require building upon the recent increase in attention to BWCs by government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, commercial entities, and professional scientists.