Prevent Window Collisions During Global Bird Rescue Week

Global Bird Rescue, a week that shines the spotlight on the catastrophic toll of window collisions, runs Sept. 22 through Sept. 28. Each year, during the peak of fall migration in North America, billions of birds navigate human-made environments as they fly south to warmer environments with more food sources. Unfortunately, millions will not reach their final destinations due to a fatal collision with a building. 

Fall migration has more building collisions than spring migration for several reasons. Given that most birds have finished breeding, a higher number of birds migrate in the fall. This journey includes both adults and juveniles, whereas during spring migration, only breeding adults make the trip. 

Most birds migrate at night, using the stars to navigate for thousands of miles in a small number of days. Light pollution at night and reflective glass surfaces during the day disorient them. Juvenile birds are less experienced travelers and tend to suffer more challenges, especially in urban areas. When birds see plants or the sky reflected in windows, they do not know there is a barrier and think they can fly through it, then they collide with the glass.

Many people assume birds can cope and fly away right after a collision. However, birds often end up sustaining unseen serious injuries such as bruising, eye ulcers, and fractures that prevent them from continuing their journeys. Recent research has shown that the number of birds that die from collisions each year is much higher than previously thought, numbering more than one billion. The good news is, people can help. Given the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in the U.S. and Canada since 1970, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is encouraging the following solutions to help birds survive and thrive.

Glass collisions from taller buildings kill vast numbers of wild birds each year. Yet most people know little about this danger, and even fewer are aware of the easy, attractive, and inexpensive solutions available to help prevent these deaths. Whether you want to reduce bird collisions at an existing building, design a new bird-friendly structure, or promote bird-safe building legislation where you live, ABC has top-rated resources available for professionals in facility construction, renovations, operations, maintenance, and real estate development.

For a more in-depth look at bird-safe building legislation solutions, read ABC and the Yale University Law, Ethics and Animals Program's report here. 

Glass collisions take a staggering toll on birds every year, threatening common and rare species alike. Solving a problem of this size requires big thinking, bold ideas, and collective action. To participate in Global Bird Rescue Week, click here.