Songbird Window Strike Prevention

Building window strikes kill an estimated 600 million birds annually in North America, representing the second largest source of human-caused bird mortality after feral cats.

Key Facts

An estimated 600 million birds die annually from window strikes in the United States and Canada
Glass reflects habitat and sky, which birds cannot distinguish from real environment
Migratory birds at night are attracted to interior building lights and collide at dawn
Simple deterrents including UV-reflective tape and exterior screens reduce strikes by over 90%
New York and several other cities have adopted bird-friendly building codes for new construction
Migratory periods of spring and fall show peak window strike mortality

Welfare Considerations

Birds that strike windows at full speed often die immediately from head trauma, but many are stunned and die hours later from internal injuries or predation while incapacitated. Birds found alive after window strikes require careful rehabilitation and quiet rest — handling them immediately after impact can cause additional stress that proves fatal. The scale of the problem — hundreds of millions of deaths annually — represents a massive source of preventable avian suffering and death from a human artifact that can be modified at relatively low cost.

What You Can Do

Apply bird-deterrent products including fritting, tape, or screens to problem windows
Turn off interior lights during overnight migration periods in spring and fall
Advocate for bird-friendly building codes in your municipality
Use window collision deterrent products on large glass doors and windows
Move bird feeders either within 3 feet or beyond 30 feet from windows to reduce strike risk
Report bird window strikes to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology collision monitoring program