It never gets old looking out the window and seeing a bird at the feeder, flying by, foraging on the ground, or scampering up a tree. At times, our windows can feel like a portal into the magic and the mystery of life just living.
Unfortunately, what can to us feel like a connection to the outside world, can be extremely harmful to our feathered friends. Scientists estimate that since 1970, North America has lost approximately 3 billion breeding birds, 1 million of which are suspected to die each year due to window strikes.
During the day, birds cannot see glass and, especially when foliage is reflected, perceive it as a continuation of habitat. At night, windows allow artificial light to escape into the dark sky, attracting birds into the city and making them more susceptible to the aforementioned daytime collisions.
Although this data is devastating, the great news is that we have solutions. In a recent experiment by the The McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, they found that installing window treatments saves lives. A lot of them.
The convention center has 120,000 square feet of glass surfaces, which have led to the deaths of thousands of migratory birds. This issue became even more infamous to birders when on a single day, October 5th, 2023, 1,000 birds were found to have met their demise.
In an effort to avoid another massacre, McCormick Place invested in installing window treatments on the entire surface of their building- tiny white circles were placed every two inches across all 120,000 square feet of glass.
After the installation, Dave Willard, the retired bird collections manager for Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History who takes routine walks around the building, found only 48 birds. Upon further observation, Willard and McCormick Place discovered that the installation decreased overall bird collisions by a whopping 95%.
While expansive, reflective buildings are a large culprit of bird strikes, they are not the only ones. Windows in our homes, third places, and local businesses can pose profound threats to our avian community. So, how can we help?
According to the American Bird Conservancy, “Not all windows pose equal dangers to birds.” Finding the ones that are most dangerous, can solve most of the risk. But, how do we find which those are?
The following three criteria are a good rule of thumb to look for:
- The window has already caused past collisions.
- The window is near a bird feeder or bath.
- The window is large, reflective, and could mostly easily be confused for an open environment.
The next step is to ensure that the treatments you use are truly effective. In order for them to be so, they need to be minimally spaced and consistent throughout the entire window. For an extensive resource on different costs, aesthetics, and options, follow the link here to visit the American Bird Conservancy’s site.
Lastly, awareness and advocacy are key ingredients in conservation. Share this information with your neighbors and communities, and look into local legislation. Acts like the Bird-Safe Buildings Act will require federal buildings to implement bird-friendly architecture.