2026-08-13

Reflections of trees and sky on large glass windows may offer people an open, scenic view, but to birds in flight, they can create the illusion that the natural environment continues ahead. On August 5, the Office of General Affairs at the National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) organized the “Ecological Habitat Conservation – Bird-Friendly Window Decal Installation” activity. Ten ecological conservation volunteers worked together for three hours to install bird-friendly decals on seven windows on the second floor of the Student Activity Center near the campus ecological lake. This marked NUK’s first attempt to reduce bird-window collision risks through bird-friendly window treatments.

The Student Activity Center is located close to the campus ecological lake. Its large landscape windows bring natural light and waterfront greenery indoors, but they also reflect the sky, trees, and surrounding scenery. Birds may fail to recognize the presence of the glass and mistakenly perceive the reflected landscape as open flight space, resulting in collisions. A bird collision had previously occurred at the windows above the entrance to the Student Activity Center.

Director-General of General Affairs Cheng-Fu Yang stated that the campus environment should not only meet the learning and activity needs of students and faculty, but should also take ecological conservation and environmental friendliness into consideration. This initiative originated from an actual campus issue and sought to build practical experience through physical improvements and volunteer participation.

He thanked the ecological conservation volunteers for contributing their time and effort, noting that their hands-on involvement helped translate biodiversity-friendly concepts into everyday campus environmental management.

Chin-Hung Chu, Director of the Environmental Protection, Safety and Health Division under the Office of General Affairs, explained that this was NUK’s first installation of bird-friendly window decals. The Student Activity Center was selected as the pilot site because it is located next to the ecological lake and had previously experienced bird collisions.

Chu noted that completing the installation is only the beginning. The university will continue monitoring its effectiveness, including the level of glass reflection and whether existing window films affect the visibility of the decals to birds. The results will serve as a reference for future improvements and possible expansion to other areas of campus.

In addition to reducing the risk of bird-glass collisions, the decals also serve as a form of environmental education. Their patterns and explanatory text help students, faculty, and visitors become more aware of bird-window collision issues and encourage reflection on the relationship between glass architecture and ecological environments.

The bird-friendly window decals used in the project were provided free of charge through the “First Strategy – Urban Bird Habitat Program,” jointly promoted by First Commercial Bank Co., Ltd. and the Wild Bird Society of Taipei. NUK received a bird-friendly window material kit designed to improve the visibility of glass surfaces.

The decals primarily use evenly spaced dot patterns combined with illustrations of birds and small animals. By increasing visible markings on the glass, the design helps birds recognize that the surface is a physical barrier rather than open habitat.

Installing the decals involved far more than simply applying stickers to the windows. Volunteers first planned the layout according to the dimensions of each window and the direction of the patterns, then numbered and cut the materials accordingly. The glass surfaces were carefully cleaned before each decal was positioned and applied.

From arranging patterns on tables and spraying glass surfaces to climbing ladders to reach higher sections, the ten volunteers worked collaboratively for approximately three hours to complete all seven windows.

NUK’s Ecological Conservation Volunteer Team will continue organizing campus habitat maintenance activities and taking practical action to improve the university environment, creating safer and more wildlife-friendly spaces for birds and other species.

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