Billions of Birds Die Annually From Flying Into Windows — Here’s Why and How to Stop It

Birds hit windows because they can’t tell if the glass is a solid object. Shiny skyscrapers in particular pose a significant risk to migrating flocks. But there are easy solutions that can prevent these bird-window strikes from happening.

By Anna Funk
Mar 10, 2021 6:05 PMMar 10, 2021 8:32 PM
A dead titmouse bird laying in the street. (Credit: pixelklex/Shutterstock)
A dead titmouse bird laying in the street. (Credit: pixelklex/Shutterstock)

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Window collisions kill up to a billion birds each year — that’s billion with a “b.” We’ve known about this for decades, and these casualties far outnumber birds poisoned by pollution, hit by cars or other direct causes. The only worse offender is domestic cats, who are estimated to kill somewhere between 1.3 and 4 billion birds annually.

Deaths-by-window peak during migration season, when billions of birds take to the skies at night with their sights set on a destination far away. Within recent years, researchers and conservation groups are getting innovative, using tools like radar to figure out new ways to keep these birds flying safely on their way.

Mirror, Mirror

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