Bird Window Strikes

Each year millions of birds die or are injured in collisions with windows in our homes and our office buildings.  Glass reflects the most when it is darker inside the building than outside.  A “typical” suburban home can have over 100 window strikes in the course of a year, and a shiny glass office building can kill tens of thousands of birds in a year. Birds do not see glass; the reflection of the sky or yard does not register to a bird as that.  That is why they fly right into windows at full speed.  Often the bird is only stunned or has superficial injuries, but more than half of the birds that hit windows will die. 

Birds that land on your windowsill and peck away at the window do not realize that they are looking at a reflection of themselves.  They think it is another bird invading their territory.  It is usually male robins or cardinals protecting their territories that will sit from sunrise to sunset pecking away at our windows.

How to Eliminate Bird Window Strikes:

It is difficult to eliminate bird window strikes completely, but there are ways to reduce them.

• Use window screens to reduce injury even if the birds do fly into the window
• Use decals such as Window Alerts on the outside of windows.  The decals have a component that reflects ultraviolet light; it is invisible to humans, but glows like a spotlight to the birds.  Use one decal for every foot of window space
• Use bird alerts to keep robins and cardinals from pecking away at your windows
• Hang strips of Mylar flash tape in front of windows.  The tape will move in the wind breaking up the illusion of a landscape
• A handy and easy way to make your windows noticed by birds is to use a yellow highlighter and draw X’s or what ever you would like on the inside of your windows.  The fluorescent ink is visible to the birds.  It will work best in sunlight and not so well in low light or on overcast days.

Many people will unknowingly make the problem worse by placing bird baths and feeders either too close or too far from windows.  Placing feeders close to windows will prevent birds from gaining enough speed to hurt them if they hit the window.  You can also place feeders far enough away from windows to give birds enough time to avoid hitting the window.  Feeders and baths should be placed either 1-3 feet from windows or 30 feet or more.  Window feeders are probably the safest way to feed wild birds in your yard.

Saving our feathered friends from the dangers of window strikes can be as easy as placing a few stickers on our windows.  For more information on window decals and products to use to avoid window strikes, contact Absolute Bird Control at www.absolutebirdcontrol.com.

About the Author

Fran Prisco writes for Absolute Bird Control, the largest online distributor of humane bird cotnrol products.

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