Death by Window

According to a new study, one of the biggest threats to birds in the United States is flying directly into the windows of buildings. Between 365 million to 988 million birds may die this way; that is about 2-10 per 100 birds.

Why do birds to fly into windows? It can be they just don’t see it or they mistake the reflection for the real sky. Surprisingly, skyscrapers are not the cuprit. The study found skyscrapers are responsible for less than 1 percent of bird deaths resulting from window collisions. Homes or other buildings from 4-11 stories are responsible for 44% of bird deaths.

Birds that are migrating from Central or South America are more vulnerable to window collisions. It is suspected that these birds travel at night and may be confused by artificial lighting.

Researchers suggest, that if your windows are experiencing bird collisions, a simple solution may be to attach a piece of reflective tape. This signals the bird to steer clear.

You may read more on this study from the link below.

References:

Ornes, S., 2014. Birds versus windows: Skyscraper windows kill fewer birds every year than the windows on low-rise buildings. Society for Science and the public. Online. Available at: https://student.societyforscience.org/article/birds-versus-windows

 

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Passerina_ciris-20090208.jpg