Birds

Migratory Songbird Hazards from Glass Buildings

Glass buildings kill up to one billion birds annually in North America alone, making window strikes one of the leading human-caused threats to migratory songbirds.

Key Facts

Glass windows kill an estimated 600 million to 1 billion birds in the US each year
Birds cannot perceive glass as a solid barrier and fly into reflections
Small residential windows cause more collisions than skyscrapers due to their numbers
Simple fritting patterns or UV-reflective tape can reduce strikes by up to 90%

Welfare Considerations

Window strikes cause immediate death or severe traumatic injury including skull fractures and internal hemorrhage. Survivors may suffer for hours before dying. The deaths occur across species at a critical time when many populations are already declining. Making windows bird-safe is achievable and relatively inexpensive.

What You Can Do

Apply bird-safe window film or tape to your home windows
Support bird-friendly building design standards in your city
Use external window screens or shutters to prevent collisions
Report window-killed birds to citizen science monitoring programs