Mitigation of Bird Mortality Caused by Bird-Window Collisions

Peer-reviewed, published research estimates that a daily minimum average of 3.5 million birds collide with glass in the US alone; 1.28 – 3.46 billion annually. The majority of these deaths occur in low-rise buildings of four stories or less. The Bird-window Collision Working Group (BCWG) has worked to address and reduce avian mortality at residential and low-rise buildings through education. An Audubon in Action Grant to Lehigh Valley Audubon Society funded the work of the BCWG partners which include the Acopian Center of Ornithology at Muhlenberg College, Audubon Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley and Wyncote Audubon Societies. This group focused on creating a Bird-Window Collision Toolkit, for use by volunteers, that includes a wide range of resources. The aim is for trained volunteers to educate people about the causes and patterns of collisions and ways they can be prevented. The BCWG program is an avenue of education and outreach to partners that include nature centers, bird clubs, garden clubs, civic associations, and others to inspire action. It also serves as a platform to reach out to architects, municipal planners, and “green building” organizations.

“Lights Out” programs serve as a “gateway” program to address the more imposing issue of bird mortality that results from collisions with glass, windows and other reflective and transparent surfaces. Mortality due to collisions with reflective and transparent surfaces is ongoing, year-round, and accounts for the majority of bird deaths caused by collisions. These events do not typically garner notable media coverage because the bird kills occur in small numbers, are very widespread, and are ongoing. Municipalities are often eager to adopt “Lights Out” initiatives to get on board and be part of the “success” experienced by sister cities. These programs attract publicity and help raise awareness of the problem of bird collisions which, in turn, create new opportunities for individual property owners and municipalities to engage and take action. It becomes possible to pivot from a successful “Lights Out” program to campaigns to mitigate bird collisions with windows, glass, and other reflective surfaces.

A program that addresses mitigation of bird mortality caused by collisions with glass, and other reflective surfaces, provides a path to move individuals from personal action to collective community action, and on to campaigns to address the issue at the state and Federal level. For additional information, read this article from the Wilson Journal of Ornithology and access the National Audubon Society’s social media toolkit.