Wildlife

Wild Migratory Bird Collision with Buildings

Glass buildings and structures kill hundreds of millions of birds annually through window collisions during migration.

Key Facts

Window strikes kill an estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds in North America annually
Birds cannot perceive glass as a barrier and see reflections as habitat
Fritted glass patterns visible in UV spectrum reduce strikes by 90%
Low-cost window films and bird-friendly tape can be applied to existing glass

Welfare Considerations

Window collision deaths are rarely instantaneous — many birds die hours after the strike from internal hemorrhaging and head trauma. The scale of preventable mortality across billions of individual birds represents an enormous welfare burden from a correctable design flaw.

What You Can Do

Apply bird-safe decals or tape to dangerous windows in a grid pattern
Advocate for bird-safe building standards in new construction
Support bird-friendly glass requirements in public building codes
Turn off unnecessary building lights during migration seasons