Windows and other glass surfaces

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Make your windows bird-friendly.

Credit: Stacy Clinton

For birds, reflective surfaces can be deadly. The reflection of sky on a glass surface disorients them, and many end up colliding with glass on homes and larger buildings. It is estimated that as many as 1 billion birds die each year from running into windows. Some die immediately on impact, others die later from injuries sustained by the crash.

Solution

Make your windows bird-friendly
You can decrease the likelihood of birds colliding with your windows in several different ways, depending on whether you are constructing a building, or retrofitting an existing one.

• Install screens on the outside of windows.
• Install mesh netting on the outside of windows. The netting must be tightly knit so birds don’t get caught, spaced several inches away from the glass, and stretched taut so birds will bounce off.
• Apply a transparent film to the outside of your windows. These films are available for order and will allow you to see out from the inside, but will cut the disorienting reflection on the outside.
• Install wooden grilles or vertical tape strips on the outside of your windows, not more than 10 centimeters apart.
• Install external shutters or sun shades
• Close curtains and blinds whenever possible

Find out More

The Fatal Light Awareness Program offers more ideas for how to reduce bird-window collisions.