Wildlife Welfare

Wild Bird Light Pollution and Nocturnal Welfare

Artificial light at night is disrupting the behaviour, physiology, and welfare of wild birds at population scale.

Key Facts

Light pollution is increasing by 2-3% annually in developed countries
Songbirds exposed to night lighting sing earlier and have disrupted sleep patterns
Migrating birds are attracted to artificial lights and suffer collision mortality
Hatching timing is disrupted in species cued by dawn light
Skyglow from cities is detectable hundreds of kilometres away

Welfare Considerations

Artificial light at night imposes physiological stress by disrupting circadian rhythms, sleep, and hormonal cycles in birds. The scale of impact across urban bird populations is vast and growing. Individual birds experience disrupted sleep, mistimed reproduction, and increased collision risk. Reducing unnecessary artificial light is one of the most cost-effective large-scale wildlife welfare interventions.

What You Can Do

Use red or amber light instead of white or blue light outdoors
Support dark sky ordinances and lighting regulations in your area
Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights at night during migration seasons