Wildlife

Bird Migration Hazard Reduction

Migratory birds face a gauntlet of human-made hazards including windows, towers, cats, and vehicles that kill billions annually.

Key Facts

Bird-window collisions kill 600 million birds annually in the US alone
Communication towers with steady lights attract and kill hundreds of thousands of migrants
Outdoor cats kill between 1.3 and 4 billion birds in the US annually
Vehicle collisions on highways kill hundreds of millions of birds each year
Many hazards are preventable through simple modifications to buildings and infrastructure

Welfare Considerations

Migratory bird mortality from human hazards represents billions of individual welfare harms annually. Window collisions cause injury and death from trauma. Tower collisions cause disorientation and death. Each of these deaths represents individual suffering that is largely preventable. Population-level welfare impacts compound as migratory bird populations continue declining.

What You Can Do

Apply bird-safe window treatments to reduce collision mortality
Support dark-sky lighting ordinances near migration corridors
Keep cats indoors during spring and fall migration peaks
Advocate for bird-safe building design requirements
Donate to migratory bird conservation organizations