Preventing Bird Collisions

Almost everyone has experienced the surprising "thud" noise made by a bird colliding with a window. Birds cannot perceive most glass barriers as a solid object, especially when the glass window reflects the sky or nearby foliage. Just this past fall, thousands of migrating birds in Chicago died from window collisions due to the mass amount of light pollution and the general buildings structure of large, towering skyscrapers with tall glass windows. Many birds migrate at night, using stars and the moon to navigate, and as such are drawn to bright lights that confuse and distract them. Even after activists urged Chicagoans to dim their lights, the mass migration of birds leaving the windy city ended in tragedy as collisions spiked.

American Robin, "Turdus migratorius"

A good way to help prevent bird collisions in your home or office is to add patterns to the glass. This can be in the form of window stickers, external insect screens, or netting on windows. These additions to your windows are relatively inexpensive and help to protect the local avifauna from injury or death.

But what if, even with precautions, a bird still hits your window? In this case, you should gently pick up the bird and place it in a quiet, warm and dark place- a cardboard box or paper bag can work just fine. You should refrain from touching or feeding the bird during this time. Instead, call your local wildlife center for assistance. Some wildlife centers will even send someone out to pick up the injured bird. If the bird starts to recover and flap its wings in an attempt to escape, carry the container outside and open it. If the bird has recovered sufficiently, it should be able to fly away just fine on its own.

Birds can be stunned for a few minutes after hitting a window. Sometimes, though, the impact is too severe, resulting in the instant death of the bird. In this unfortunate scenario, there are several steps you can take. The first would to b simply leaving the bird alone and letting nature take its course. Many animals scavenge for carrion as a food source. Another option would involve burying the bird underground as a way to remove it from sight. This method might be the best course of action if yo have small children or pets.