Daniel Klem Jr. is an American ornithologist, known for his pioneering research into the mortality of birds due to glass windows.[1][2][3] He is a Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology at Muhlenberg College.[3] He has been teaching there since 1979.
Daniel Klem Jr. | |
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Nationality | American |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Ornithology |
Institutions | Muhlenberg College |
Website | www |
Klem obtained his BSc at Wilkes University and his MSc at Hofstra University.[3] He served in the US military during the Vietnam War, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.[3] He subsequently obtained his doctorate from Southern Illinois University.[3]
In his 1990 papers "Bird injuries, cause of death, and recuperation from collisions with windows" and "Collisions between birds and windows: mortality and prevention", he calculated that between 100 million and 1 billion birds are killed, annually, in the United States alone, by flying into windows.[1]
His research has influenced the design of buildings, not least the Niagara Falls State Park Observation Tower, on which he was a design consultant.[1][3] He holds several US patents relating to windows design.[4] He has also written about the birds of Armenia.
He received an honorary doctorate from Wilkes University, where he is also a trustee.[3]